Ruins
by broodyprettygirl
Summary: How do you know when something is worth ruining everything you've ever known?
1. Prologue

**Here is the prologue to my new story. Now, I know I should be updating for my other stories…but this one struck me with some inspiration. It's AU..set in the summer before Junior year. I'm kind of excited for it! :) And while writing it…I kind of realized I have a weird obsession with Lucas cheating on Peyton with Brooke…I wonder why?! HA! **

**Now, on a more personal note, I PROMISE that the next time I post something it will be for Hot For Teacher, just for one of my FAVORITE authors and reviewers, toddntan!**

**And now, on to the chapter kids (and adults for those who take life too seriously)….**

_**Prologue**_

_**Forbidden Fruits**_

_**July 29, 2009 **_

_**06:21 p.m.**_

The sounds of heavy breathing emanated through his dark bedroom. A single candle's flame flickered from the corner of the room. The sweet scent of strawberries wafted through the room, unnoticed by the inhabitants. Soft moans and heated whispers bore the soundtrack for the blond and brunette forbidden lovers.

"Mmm…pretty girl," Lucas whispered a nickname just given to the girl beneath him that night.

"Lucas," Brooke purred, arching her back, pressing her bare chest against his.

His mouth clamped down against the flesh of her neck, and her head fell back. Her delicate hands clawed at his back, her nails leaving red marks in his skin, while his hands held her close to him, as if he was afraid she would disappear from beneath him. His hips rocked back and forth against her, as he penetrated so deeply she was sure he could go no farther.

"Say it, pretty girl," he demanded of her. Slow, intense thrusts moved his lower torso into her, muscles clenching. "I-it's jus' usss…pretty girl," he whispered into her ear.

"N-no," she stuttered, shutting her eyes so tight to pretend as though she wasn't making love to someone else's boyfriend. Forbidden fruit he was, and she couldn't seem to get enough of his succulent taste. She clung to his back, and wrapped her legs tight around his waist, so he couldn't leave her, so she wouldn't be empty anymore. "Th-uh-is s-s-so wrong," she spoke, even though she didn't believe it.

"Open your-mmm, eyes, Brooke," he told her, continuing his thrusts, and now cupping the side of her face. She shook her head, and squeezed her eyes tighter. "Look at me," he said forcefully. "Mmm, Brooke," he moaned, "Oh God, ugh-look me in the eyes, mmmm…and tell me, uh, this is wrong."

Brooke opened her eyes, and hazel mixed with crystal blue. "It's not right," rolled off her tongue as if it were nothing. "Uhhh…oh, Lucas," she moaned.

"Liar," he challenged. "It's me, B-Brooke," he grunted, pressing himself into her, "you ca-can't lie to _me_." He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, and licked the skin before nipping at it. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he slid in out and out of her folds with ease.

"_You_ mmm…don't know _me_," she grunted, trying to stifle the screams begging to escape her lungs. Never once had she experienced such intense lovemaking. _Sex_, she corrected.

"I _know_ you," Lucas whispered into her ear. A hissing noise came from Brooke as she sucked in air between her teeth while shaking her head. "I _know_ that if I lick you right here, you'll moan," he licked a spot right behind her ear, and she moaned. "And I _know_ if I do this, you'll say my name," he pressed his pelvis harder into her and they're lower half connected as though they were one.

"Lucas," Brooke purred.

"And I _know _that you have never wanted anyone else as much as you want me right now," he pressed his lips against hers, and quickly slid his tongue past her lips until it connected with hers. "_Tell_ me, pretty girl."

"I've never-ah- wanted _anyone_-mmm- as much as _you_."

Her voice was like the sweetest melody, and never before had he been so obsessed with a song. He'd known her for years, and not once had he ever considered that the woman now beneath him could make his heart flutter, and his head foggy. She was like a drug, and he was addicted with the first hit. He wanted nothing more than to overdose in everything that she was. From the way her chocolate tresses smelled like lilacs in springtime, to the way her delicate toes were perfectly manicured.

Lucas felt himself getting close to his end, but he didn't want it to end. He wanted it to last forever, because as soon as it ended they would have to face reality. But for now, he was going to prolong it for as long as possible. He abruptly pulled himself out of her, and she gasped, while grabbing for him. Her eyes shot open, and her hand grabbed Lucas'.

"Don't stop," she begged.

He sat back on his knees breathing heavily, feeling just as empty as she was. She made him feel alive.

"Lucas, I need you," she pleaded. She sat up, and grabbed onto his waist. "I need you inside of me," she panted. He didn't respond. "Don't stop," she spoke again, cupping his cheek. She was afraid he had finally realized what a huge mistake he was making. "Please Lucas-"

He grabbed her by her hips, and hoisted her into his lap. She gasped as once again he was fully inside of her. His hands slid from her hips to her ass, and he gently started to guide her motions. Brooke ground her hips against Lucas, following his lead.

"Come for me, pretty girl," he demanded.

"Mmm…" she moaned.

He wrapped his arms completely around her waist, and she wrapped hers around his neck. He used his upper body strength to help Brooke bounce up and down against him. She wanted nothing more than to clamp down on the skin of his neck, and leave her mark, but she couldn't. He was someone else's.

"Don't think, pretty girl," he spoke, as though he was reading her mind. "Come all over me."

"Luke-Luke," she started to chant his name in her sweet, raspy tone.

The pace quickened as slickened bodies slid against each other. Both didn't want it to end, but couldn't deny the euphoric feeling succumbing them. Both pressed on, hoping to get to the ultimate end, even though it meant that no longer would they be able to pretend as though they were the only two people in the world. She ground against him, and he pressed back against her. Neither knew one could experience what they were in that moment, but both knew they would never forget it.

Her walls clenched around him as her back arched instinctively and her head fell back. Beautiful noises slipped passed her lips, and Lucas could hold out no longer. He was soon releasing within her, chanting her name. When the feeling ended, neither moved. He didn't want to let go, and she knew she would never feel as whole again as she did in that moment.

Slowly, delicately, he placed chaste kisses against her neck, up her jaw, and ended on her lips. Her face was flushed, and the faintest amount of liquid gathered along her hairline, but he knew he would never see anything as beautiful again. Gently, he laid both against the bed, and slipped out from her depths. Brooke grunted in disappointment from the sudden emptiness.

Neither moved nor talked, because then they would have to admit the betrayal that had just taken place. He was with her best friend, and she with his. The two had only recently been spending time together, alone. Both significant others had left for the summer, one on a vacation with the parents, and the other off to summer camp. It was as if fate brought Brooke and Lucas together to make it obvious to each other the limitless passion that stood between them.

For years they had been just acquaintances, only hanging around each other because of who they were with. They knew each other, and they respected each other, but never had they _known_ each other. It started at the beginning of summer, when Brooke, out of boredom, went to the river court to pass time, and they were both sure it would end after Brooke left his bedroom. The other halves would be home in less than two weeks, and then school would start once again.

For that night though, both wanted to pretend that there was no one else. That what they had just experienced, outside of being the most intense and unfathomable feelings ever felt by either, was okay. They didn't want to have to pretend that there wasn't something more between them. They didn't want to hide emotional connection. For one night, they would just pretend as though they were together, and there was nothing wrong with it.

"How mad would your mom be if she knew I was staying here with you while she's away?" Brooke whispered, accustomed to having to hide the fact she was there.

"I'd be grounded all of junior year," Lucas spoke, and Brooke caught the upward curve of the corners of his mouth through the candlelight. "For you, though, she might let me slide with only half of the year."

"She loves me," Brooke giggled.

"She's not the only one," Lucas whispered, placing his finger under her chin and turning her face toward him. He lightly brushed his lips against hers, sending chills shooting up and down Brooke's spine.

"You shouldn't say that," Brooke continued in her soft tone. "You _can't_ say that."

"I know," Lucas nodded. "I _know_, but I can't help it."

Brooke shut her eyes, and drew in a shaky breath. She wasn't supposed to feel like this towards her best friend's boyfriend. She shouldn't feel like this at all. Even her own boyfriend did not give her the same chills that Lucas did. He didn't make her get butterflies in her stomach, and she didn't smile every time she heard his voice. When the summer began, she _knew_ she was in love with her boyfriend. Now she _knows_ that love's intense feelings are much stronger than anything she's ever felt for her boyfriend.

"I didn't come over here for this," Brooke looked away from his eyes. "I brought a movie."

"I know," Lucas brushed the side of her face. "I didn't plan on it either, but I'm glad it's happened."

"How can you be glad?" She looked back up at him. "Do you realize how complicated things are going to be now?"

"Yes," he nodded, "yes, I do. But I also realize I would have much rather experienced this than never experienced it."

He made a good point. He always made good points. He kept her on her toes; he always had her thinking. And just as she was about to get comfortable, he did something to catch her off guard, and once again he'd amaze her. He was nothing like her own boyfriend. She had grown comfortable with him.

"Yeah," she nodded.

The two grew silent, and Lucas put his hand on her hip and pulled her closer to him. He didn't even know if he had the right to do it. Because before tonight, the two had been skirting around the intense feelings they shared. There were accidental touches left lingering, but never anything either would admit to being intentional. But when she came over that night, wearing a red sundress, and smelling of lilacs and strawberries, he could hardly resist. She bragged about the candle she brought, and after she turned the lights off and lit it, he accidently called her his pretty girl. A nickname that had been silently sitting on the tip of his tongue for quite some time.

"I'm tired, but I don't want to go to sleep," Brooke broke the silence.

"Me too," Lucas agreed, pulling her closer.

"How did this happen?" Brooke questioned, looking up into his eyes.

"I think it started after I called you pretty girl, and then _accidentally_ kissed you," he smirked.

"No," Brooke smiled, "I mean, how did all of this start."

"For me, it started the day you came down to the river court, and kicked my ass in basketball."

"You let me," Brooke giggled.

"No, you're just bad ass, pretty girl," he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "And I've wanted to spend every day with you since then."

"I think it was when you pretended to trip over your own feet so I could get the ball and score a point," Brooke smiled at the memory. "I thought that was sweet of you. I don't know many guys that would let a girl beat them in a sport they love."

Lucas blushed. "I didn't _pretend_ to trip," he chortled. "I just wanted you to _think_ that I pretended." Brooke giggled.

"Either way, it was sweet, and cute." She brushed her hand through his buzzed blond hair. "I wish it didn't have to end. This has been the most amazing summer ever."

"It doesn't have to end," Lucas intertwined his fingers with hers, and brought them to rest in the middle of the two.

"We can't-"

"I know," Lucas stopped her. "But, I don't want to be with her, I want to be with you."

"You have to be with her," Brooke looked away from him. "She's been like a sister to me for a very long time."

"But why be miserable if we can have this?"

"It's impossible," Brooke shook her head. "Can we not talk about this now? I don't even want to think about what will happen tomorrow. I just want to enjoy this with you."

"Okay," Lucas nodded. "No going to sleep though, because I'm going to have my way with you again," he started tickling her sides.

Brooke started to laugh, while squirming away from him. "That was so romantic!" She screeched through her laughter.

She stayed all night. He wouldn't let her go anywhere without him. They showered together, cooked food together, and made love so many more times. And Brooke wondered as the morning stared to come, if sex with Lucas was how sex was supposed to be. Her boyfriend, Julian, had been the only other guy she had ever been with, and it had never been as intense or as breathtaking. She didn't get off every time with him, and Lucas had her screaming uncontrollably two even three times during one coupling. And she wondered if maybe Lucas was just that good, and that's what Peyton got to experience every time.

What she didn't know was that Lucas was wondering the exact same thing about her.


	2. 1 It Wasn't Over

**First chapter complete! WOOHOO! And hey, if anyone feels like being a kind of beta for me, I would love some feedback! Anyway, just let me know what you think of it or whatever. I don't really want someone to correct the chapter grammatically, unless of course they want to, just someone to read through it at tell me if it makes sense or not and what not. **

_**Chapter 1**_

_**It Wasn't Over**_

_**August 9, 2009**_

_**12:24 p.m.**_

It was ridiculous, really. Why would Julian and Peyton request to meet Brooke _and_ Lucas at the same time for lunch on the day they returned? Brooke didn't get it. Why wouldn't they want to meet separately? It was hard enough trying to forget about what she and Lucas shared without having him in her face constantly. How could she appear normal when just the presence of him made her knees weak and her palms sweat?

She went late, hoping that by the time she got there, Julian and Peyton would already be there, so she wouldn't have to be alone with Lucas. Unfortunately, Julian and Peyton were later than she was. And when she saw Lucas for the first time in two days, she was suddenly glad no one was around to see her reaction. Because she had to stop mid-step and catch her breath. Her stomach flip-flopped, and her heart dropped, because as much as she wanted him, she can never actually have him again.

He can feel her coming before he can actually see her. Brooke Davis had presence, and Lucas Scott had an internal alarm for whenever she was about to appear. It had been two very long days since he'd seen her. She requested that he didn't come around so that she could adjust to not being able to have him before the other two showed up. He protested, God did he protest, but inevitably, he gave in to her. Because he would always give in to her. And after two long days, it was breathtakingly refreshing to see her once again. She was nervous, he could tell, but he also caught that she had to stop and catch her breath before she could approach him.

He was so in love with that girl.

She cleared her throat as she took the seat across from him. "No Peyton or Julian?" She questioned, trying to avoid his eyes. If she avoided his eyes, she could stay the least bit sane.

"They called," he nodded, his hand venturing slowly across the table, needing to touch her. She scooted back farther, even though her need was just as great as his. "I've missed you so much, Pretty Girl."

"Lucas," she cut her eyes at him. "Don't." She shook her head. "What did they say?"

He didn't want to tell her yet that they had been delayed, and would not be returning that day. The sooner he told her, the sooner she would take off. And he wanted more time with his Pretty Girl. He _needed_ more time with his Pretty Girl.

"Brooke, don't pretend when it is only me," he begged.

"It is not only _you_, Lucas. Look around," she gestured around them. "Any one of these people will tell on us." She diverted her eyes. "And it's just too hard."

"It doesn't have to be," his tone dropped to just above a whisper. "We can leave them. We can leave them, keep us secret for a while, and then eventually tell them we just kind of happened. Because we did, Brooke, just kind of happen."

"They'd never understand," she shook her head, adamantly. "They would _never_ understand, and I wouldn't either. We can't do that to them. Do you know how long I have been best friends with Peyton? Do you know how long I have been with Julian?"

"Same as me, Brooke. I get it. I know how much it'll destroy them, but I also know how much it'll destroy me having to watch you and him kiss and hold hands. I can't watch him claim you as his. I'll go crazy."

"We have to deal with it," her hazel eyes met his blue ones. "We have to, because they deserve it and we don't. We cheated, Lucas. That is so…low. How could we ever behave that way?"

"I don't regret it," he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't regret any minute of it because," he sat forward and put his elbows on the table, "because, I have never felt more alive than the time I have spent with you. I have never felt about Peyton, the way I feel for _you_. I think we've spent the last three years of our lives with the wrong people."

"No we haven't," she looked away from him. "If we hadn't been with them, we would have never met."

Lucas was relieved to hear her talk that way, because he was becoming more and more afraid she truly didn't feel what he felt. She had been so adamant about not being together, that it was impossible, that he himself was starting to back down. But, it was hard to let go of such strong feelings. Feelings so strong that he was sure she was it for him.

She was trying to stay strong. She _needed_ to stay strong. After everything that she had been through with Julian and Peyton, and everything they have pulled her through, she couldn't betray them anymore than she already had. So, she had to sacrifice her true happiness for a lesser happiness, and she was okay with that. She had no choice but to be okay with it.

"Lucas," she turned back towards him, "what did they say?"

"They're not coming home today," he finally told her, and her face contorted. "Things got delayed, and they won't be home until tomorrow. Julian didn't call you?" She shook her head and looked away from him. Because they both knew, Lucas _would always_ call her.

"I should go," she stood, and so did he. "You stay here."

"I can't. We can spend time together, Brooke. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Yes there is," she nodded. "It's just too hard, Lucas. I can't be around you without wanting to touch you."

"That's okay, I don't mind," he smirked. And she offered him the faintest smile before inhaling deeply. "Let me at least give you a ride."

She paused for a second, knowing she had to say no, but said, "okay," instead.

The ride was quiet. And not a comfortable quiet, a palpable quiet. He so desperately wanted to pull over and make her his again, and she did, too. They couldn't, though. Because Brooke refused to allow herself those pleasures, and Lucas wanted to respect her. So they sat in a silent torture.

As she was getting out of his Mustang, he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back in. Because even though he wanted to respect her, he _needed_ to kiss her. So he pulled her into his chest, and fervently pressed his lips against hers. She wanted to protest, she really did. But, she couldn't. His kisses were mesmerizing, and she was sure this was the last one they'd be able to share. And she wanted to remember it forever.

He cupped her face as his lips caressed hers. Both blond and brunette melted into the kiss, everything else disappearing around them. For just a moment, both allowed themselves to pretend as though there was nothing keeping them apart. For the last time.

And just as quickly as it started, it ended. Brooke pulled away from him, gave him a sad smile, and went to her house. Lucas watched until she was inside, her scent still on him. And he knew he should be sadder than he was, because it seemed like the end for them. But, for some reason, he knew it wasn't the end. Something as strong and as passionate as what they have could never end.

_***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***_

_**August 9, 2009**_

_**04:36 p.m. **_

He was setting the table for his mom and uncle Keith, and he must have been doing a horrible job because his mom made a comment about his mind being elsewhere. He just shrugged her off, but he knew what she meant. He hadn't been able to think about anything but Brooke for the entire summer. And now that he can no longer have her, his head is foggier than ever.

"Something bothering you, my boy?" Karen asked, setting her hand on his shoulder. He jumped, slightly. He turned toward her, and tried to smile.

"Fine, ma," he lied.

"Don't you lie to me," Karen said. "You forget I am your mother."

"It's nothing, really," he tried to sound more convincing.

She nodded her head, but wasn't convinced. He continued to set the table, trying to concentrate harder, not knowing his mom was watching him as he did so. She knew her son well, and right now she knew there was something bothering him, terribly. And she had the slightest inkling of what it was.

"I haven't seen Brooke around much the past couple of days, did you two get into a fight?" She questioned, returning to the stove to stir her food.

"No," he shook his head, not looking up from the table.

"Lucas, you know I adore Brooke to no end, but what did you think could become of you two?"

Lucas was startled by her question. Was he so transparent? Never once had he made it obvious in front of his mom the way he felt for Brooke. They were mostly friendly, joking around and laughing a lot. It was no surprise Karen took an immediate liking to the infectious brunette, but had he really given enough signals for his mom to find out his feelings?

Karen knew she had hit the nail right on the head as she watched her son be speechless. She had watched the two interact, and the more she was around, the more Karen could see the feelings of friendship fading into something so much more. She was scared for her son. Because, something like that could lead to so much destruction, considering the complications surrounding their circumstances.

"I know you better than you think," she chuckled.

"I don't…I don't know what to do," he shrugged.

"What do you want to do?" She questioned.

"I know what I _want_ to do, but it could never happen."

"Lucas, I've watched you grow up with Julian Baker. From the time you were both only knee high, you've been best friends."

"I know, ma," he sat into a chair and put his head in his hands. "But she's just so-so….I can't even explain."

"She's great, Lucas. She's beautiful, funny, pleasant, charming, a whole handful of things, but you can never replace a friend like you have. You will never have someone who knows you like he does."

Lucas knew this. He had just been trying to hide from it. Hell, he remembered when Julian first started dating Brooke, and how much Lucas thought she was just annoying. She used to steal Julian's time away from Lucas. And then, they introduced Lucas to Peyton, and then they all fit together. They double dated, hung out at lunch, they were almost inseparable. Until that summer.

"I know, ma," he sighed. "But, I don't think I will ever have the same feelings for another girl that I do for Brooke."

Karen smiled, remembering how it felt to be young and supposedly in love. She was sure he felt that same way about Peyton not too long along, but long enough that in his teenage head, he had already forgotten. What she didn't know, was that Lucas would swear up and down his feelings for Brooke were overwhelmingly greater than his feelings for Peyton.

Karen only hoped he hadn't already crossed the betrayal line.

"Sometimes you have to follow your heart," she shrugged. "Sometimes you have to remain loyal. Only you can decide what is best, Lucas."

"Thanks, ma," he finally looked up from the table. "But, I don't think I really have a choice in this."

"And what about Peyton?" She asked. "Where does she fit in?"

"You know I love Peyton, but, it's different. It's different from how I feel for Brooke. And it's so hard to explain."

"Teenagers can be so indecisive," she chuckled.

"Maybe," he shrugged, "but I don't have a decision to make. I know what I want, I just also know what I can't have."

_***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***_

_**August 9, 2009**_

_**07:48 p.m.**_

Brooke knew she shouldn't be bothering Haley, but she felt so extremely lonely, she needed to see her. And when the shorter brunette answered the door with a smile, Brooke remembered she could never actually bother Haley. She was just great like that.

"What's up, Brooke?" Haley asked, opening the door far enough for Brooke to come in.

"Just bored," Brooke shrugged. "Where's Nate?"

"Where else?" Haley rolled her eyes. "Lucas called a little while ago, and of course Nathan immediately shot up and went down to the river court. I swear, sometimes I think he's cheating on me with a damn basketball."

Brooke chuckled. "He doesn't make you take a basketball to bed with you, does he?"

"Not yet," Haley shook her head. "I imagine that is coming soon, though."

Brooke smiled at her friend, feeling comfort automatically come over her. And for some reason, it was nice to know that even though she's already betrayed Peyton, she would always have Haley. And while Haley could never replace Peyton and their memories, she was one of the greatest people Brooke had ever known.

"Speaking of Lucas, have you seen him lately?" Haley asked, and Brooke slowly shook her head. "He's been kind of off the last couple of days. Like, I know he's broody, but damn has he been broody lately. I'll ask him a question, and I'll have to repeat it, and then he takes like ten minutes to even answer. I don't know, it's weird, though."

"I don't know," Broke shrugged turning away to hide her face. She hated lying to her friend. "Maybe he misses Peyton?" She offered, and she almost cringed after she said it. Because even though she's going to pretend like it doesn't, seeing Lucas with Peyton will bother her to the point of insanity.

"Could be," Haley shrugged. "What have you been up to, anyway?"

"Not much," Brooke shrugged. "Just hanging out, you know."

Things grew silent between the two, and while Haley thought it was a comfortable silence, Brooke was fighting an inner battle. She so horribly needed to get off her chest her indiscretions, but she knew she couldn't unload all of that on Haley. Haley did not need to carry the burden of keeping that secret, and Brooke would never do that to her. But for once, she just wished she could gush over how she felt for Lucas, and how bad she felt for her friend and boyfriend.

"Haley, if I say something will you promise not to ask questions and to not judge?"

Haley looked sideways at her friend. Brooke had never really been candid before. She was more of a 'tell it like it was' type of person. "Sure, Brooke."

Brooke inhaled deeply, and shut her eyes. "What if you knew someone that had been with someone for a very long time, but-" she stopped mid-sentence and thought before continuing. If she didn't think about it, she would reveal too much and Haley would know exactly who she was talking about. "I mean, is it possible to love someone so much that no matter how much betrayal it would be to be with that person, it would be worth it?"

Haley was silent for a long time. Too long for Brooke. "Are you talking about you, Brooke?"

"You promised no questions, Haley."

"Right," Haley sighed. "I guess, I mean, yeah if the love is really worth it, then yeah. I'd like to think that Nathan and I would stop at nothing to be together."

"But what if something like this would break so many hearts? And ruin everything?"

"It's..uh..I guess it just depends on the person. Sometimes it's more important to put your feelings in front of what everyone else thinks."

"That's the thing. It's like, if you're not with," she stood up and started to pace, "this person, then you just know you're going to go insane. And when you're around them all you do is ache to touch them."

"Brooke, are you cheating on-"

"No questions, Haley, remember?" Brooke interrupted her. Haley put her hands up in defeat.

"Then I think that if just because of the ultimate betrayal of everyone else, that it would be worth it, because you can't keep yourself from being happy. That's kind of a huge point of life. To be happy."

Brooke sat back down; feeling even more conflicted than before. She knew she wanted to be with Lucas, and that if she wasn't, then she would just go insane. But, at the same time, a little piece of her just hopes that when Julian comes back, everything will go back to normal, and she will be happy with him again. And Lucas will be happy with Peyton again. But for some reason, she highly doubted that things would go back to normal. Ever.

"Can I ask now, what that was all about?" Haley asked. Brooke shook her head 'no'. "I have to just go around wondering what the hell you were talking about?"

"Yes," Brooke nodded. "I'm sure some day you will find out."

_***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***_

_**August 9, 2009**_

_**11:48 p.m. **_

"Damn, it's almost midnight!" Nathan cursed. "Shit, Haley is going to kill me."

Lucas laughed as he tried to catch his breath. "I'm sure she's probably thinking about how much of an idiot you are for losing track of time while playing basketball and not about killing you."

"Either way, I'm dead," he laughed. "I gotta get up early for work tomorrow."

Lucas shook his head. "Hey man, you mind if I crash on your couch tonight? I don't really feel like going home."

"Yeah, sure bro, anytime."

"Thanks," Lucas smiled.

Neither had brought a car, so they walked silently back to Nathan's. Both were exhausted from their rigorous game play, but more so than that, Lucas was mentally exhausted. All he had done all day was contemplate what he should do about Brooke. He wanted nothing more than to disobey her wishes, and demand that she be with him because they were undeniable, but he wasn't completely self-serving. He knew he would lose his best friend, and also a girlfriend that has been very loyal through the years. And while the feelings he had for Brooke were strong, very strong, he did still care for Peyton. How could he not when he had spent the last three years calling her girlfriend? He didn't want to hurt her. And parts of him still yearned for Peyton's touch, too. It had just become so much easier for him through the summer to forget her touch, and become addicted to Brooke's. Sometimes, he wondered if maybe once Julian and Peyton came back, things would go back to normal. But then he remembered that him and Brooke had already crossed too many lines.

"What are you thinking about, Lucas?" Nathan suddenly broke through his thoughts.

"How tired I am, and glad that I decided to walk the ten minutes to your house instead of the twenty to mine."

Nathan chuckled. "Well, I figured if I brought you home with me, Haley would be too embarrassed to yell at me in front of you."

"Not true. Haley has yelled at you in front of me before."

"Oh yeah," Nathan furrowed his brow. "Well, then, this way I can at least place some of the blame on you and you can take half the yelling."

The two continued to joke back and forth for the rest of the walk. Lucas followed Nathan up his stairway and into his house. The cooled air in their apartment was definitely refreshing as he wiped his brow with his shirt. He hadn't realized how bad he had been sweating. And in the middle of him wiping his forehead, he heard Nathan greet Brooke.

Brooke's breath caught in her throat when she watched Lucas walk through the front door behind Nathan. It was a good thing she hadn't been standing because she would have collapsed. And when he got into the apartment, and lifted his shirt to wipe his forehead, and his perfectly sculpted ab muscles came on display, she almost started to hyperventilate. And then Nathan said her name.

Lucas started to cough after he heard Brooke's name, and saw her sitting on the couch. An uncontrollably, embarrassing cough. Both Brooke and Nathan turned to look at him to see if he was okay, and he tried to wave them off, but the coughing wouldn't end. He went to the sink and got a drink of water, and that seemed to calm it.

"Damn, dude, swallow a bug or something?" Nathan asked.

"Or something," Lucas nodded, stealing a glance at Brooke. And his heart fluttered because he noticed she was wearing an over-sized t-shirt and some really short shorts. God, she was gorgeous. "Nice shirt," he nodded his head at her.

Brooke looked down at her chest and shrugged. "It's Nate's."

"Nah," Nathan shook his head, "Lucas left that here the last time he crashed on the couch. Speaking of looks like you two are going to be sharing the couch because Lucas is crashing here, too."

Brooke gulped. Not only was she incredibly comfortable in what she thought was Nathan's shirt, but turned out to be Lucas' shirt, now she was going to have to spend the night with the one person in this whole world she was trying to avoid. She could do it. She could practice enough self-control, and keep to herself. She didn't _need_ to be close with him if he was in the same room. She could do it. For some reason, during her pep talk, she knew she was lying.

"Great," Brooke plastered a perfectly fake smile on her face, and looked past Nathan at Lucas. He mouthed 'fake' to her. She rolled her eyes. Damn did that boy know everything about her.

"Bout damn time you got your ass home," Haley finally emerged from the bedroom. "I was about to go down there looking for you to make sure you hadn't fallen into the river."

"Hey baby," Nathan tried to sweet talk. He sauntered up to his wife, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I have missed you this entire time." He kissed the tip of her nose.

"Damn, I was so mad at you until you did that," she giggled.

Lucas made a retching noise from the kitchen. "I think I just threw up in my mouth," he joked.

Nathan and Haley ignored his teasing, and continued to sweet talk and kiss each other. Lucas took this as an opportunity to sit next to Brooke on the couch. And as soon as he did, his heart started to speed up, and his hands started to sweat. All because the sides of their thighs were lightly grazing each other.

Brooke almost groaned out loud from just the small amount of contact between the two. And she knew she was doomed then, because if just that much skin contact could get her breathless and make her heart flutter, she knew there would never be any way to conceal how she felt for him in her eyes.

"You smell wonderful," he dipped his head down and whispered into her ear.

"Haley's fabric softener, probably," Brooke patted his shirt.

"I don't think so," he shook his head. "You always smell wonderful."

"Well, you smell sweaty," she scrunched up her nose.

"Maybe I should take a shower?" He lifted an arm and pretended to smell his underarm. "Care to join me?"

"First of all, yuck," she laughed. "Second of all, I don't think so."

"You don't _think_ so?" He questioned. "So it that a maybe?"

Brooke slowly closed her eyes, and remembered back to the night when they did share a shower, and suddenly there was a familiar ache between her legs, right where she wished Lucas was.

"You guys want to watch a movie?" Haley asked, breaking up the secret conversation.

"Honestly?" Lucas turned towards one of his closest friends. "I'm so tired I'd just pass out. I think I'll use your shower and then hit the sack."

"You mean, hit the floor," Brooke corrected him.

"No way, I get the couch. I asked Nathan," Lucas shook his head with determination.

"I was here on this couch long before you even got here," Brooke opposed. "Besides, it's the gentlemanly thing to do," she gave him her sweetest smile.

"You could just share," Nathan offered. And both turned towards him wide-eyed. "I'm just sayin!" He held his hands up. "It's not like you're gonna do anything, and besides, you two are like brother and sister now, anyway."

"Yeah," Haley backed him up. "One can sleep at one end, and the other can sleep at the other end. No big deal."

Lucas and Brooke stayed silent, but gave the married couple sheepish smiles. Haley and Nathan shrugged, and then bid their goodnights to the secret lovers. Little did they know how unlike brother and sister Brooke and Lucas were.

"Shower time?" Brooke asked Lucas, hoping he would be in the shower long enough for her to fall asleep.

Lucas groaned, wanting nothing more than to just stay there next to her all night, even if it was just to talk. "Yeah, I guess I should head in there," he said and stood up. "Sure you don't want to join? I could use some help scrubbing my back."

"I'm sure that's all you need help with," she shoved him in the leg. He smiled a real, genuine smile, and turned around for the bathroom. And for once, since Lucas had gotten there, Brooke could breath calmly again.

She laid out the blankets Haley had given to her, and the shut off the lights. Well, most of them, because until Lucas was out of the shower, she would be too afraid to be all alone in the dark. So she left a small light on and lay on the couch. She could hear the water in the shower turn on and then Lucas stepping into it. She wanted nothing more than to just go in there, and even just watch him. Even more than that, she wanted to be touching him. But, she exercised the self-control she had thought about earlier, and remained on the couch.

The next day, Julian would be back in town, and things would be back to normal. Her boyfriend would be back, and distract her enough so that she didn't have to think about Lucas anymore. That's all she needed. Because even though her feelings for Lucas were strong, they were only there because Julian was gone, and she had no one else to give her love to. And as she tried to convince herself of this, she also knew she was lying.

She closed her eyes, willing herself to go to sleep, but she knew it wasn't going to come. Not when Lucas was just in the other room. Naked. Naked with water dripping down his perfectly toned arms, and abs and-

"Stop," Brooke scolded herself. She exhaled loudly, and rolled onto her other side. This was going to be a long night if just thinking about Lucas in the shower was driving her crazy.

She was jus about sleeping when she heard him shut the water off. And suddenly, she was wide-awake again. She didn't know what he was doing, but she could just imagine him wiping the steam off the mirror to check his reflection, and maybe even flexing in the mirror. She giggled at the thought. Then, she could picture him toweling off, and wrapping the towel around his waist. She could vividly picture little beads of water clinging to all of the muscles on his chest and abdomen, and the way his arm muscles flexed when he reached into the cabinet to pull out some toothpaste.

Her eyes clenched tight, and she listened harder to what he was doing. All she could here was the floor creaking, and every once in a while, a cabinet closed. She sighed. She really had it bad. And suddenly, she couldn't wait for him to get out of the bathroom so they could spend some time alone, since they hadn't in two days. Damn her self-control.

"Mom," she heard him whisper from within the bathroom, and Brooke smiled wide. She loved his mom. And she loved how much _he_ loved his mom. "I'm crashing at Haley and Nathan's tonight…" his voice was low, so he didn't wake up Nathan and Haley. "I was too lazy to walk home after playing basketball." He chuckled after Karen said something. "Love you too, ma. Bye." Brooke sighed. There was nothing like a man who treated his mom right.

Moms. Mostly, Brooke thought they sucked. Her mom sucked. Julian's mom sucked. Peyton's mom died. Haley's mom left. Nathan's mom sucked. And Lucas, the one that was supposed to be the "outcast" because of his father, had the best mom in the world. She may be the only mom left in Tree Hill. And Brooke yearned so much for a mom like Karen. She tried so hard at first to get Karen to like her, and Lucas noticed. She was embarrassed when he confronted her, but he gently pushed some hair behind her ear and quietly told her to just be herself, and his mom would love her. And he was right. She started just being herself. The same person she was when she was around Lucas, and Karen started inviting her over every night for dinner. Because, apparently Karen thought families were supposed to have dinner together. Brooke wondered if her own mother would laugh about that, or have a heart attack. Either way, she would trade her own mom for Karen any day.

"Pretty Girl," Lucas whispered, causing Brooke to jump. She could feel his hot breath against her cheek, and it made her shutter. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"I was sleeping," she reprimanded, even though she was lying. "You get that end." She pointed to the opposite side of the couch.

"Don't think so, Pretty Girl," he smirked. He lifted her covers and shoved himself on the edge of the couch, squishing Brooke against the back of the couch. And while she was completely uncomfortable, being that close to Lucas again brought her so much emotional comfort that the physical faded away.

"You smell a lot better," Brooke teased.

"You're gorgeous."

"We could get into a lot of trouble for this," Brooke said.

"Nathan's my brother, and Haley's my sister in law. They won't tell."

"How do you know?"

"I just know," he whispered. He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. "I missed being this close to you."

"Me too," Brooke admitted. "We can't do this, Lucas."

"All you say to me lately is how we can't be together, and how it's not possible for us, Brooke." Lucas cupped the side of her cheek. "I know what we're doing is wrong. Julian is my best friend, and Peyton is my girlfriend. But, damn it, Brooke, this feels too right for it to be so wrong. How can that be?"

"I don't know," Brooke whispered, not taking her eyes away from Lucas' for even a moment. "I have no idea, but I know what you mean."

Lucas shut his eyes, and took a deep breath in. When he opened his eyes a slight smile formed on his lips. "Maybe we should just run away to another state where no one would no about our betrayal?" Brooke giggled.

The smile on Brooke's face soon faded, and a deep frown now etched away at her face. "Tonight has to be the last night," she whispered, now tearing her eyes away from her blue-eyed lover's. "Tomorrow Peyton and Julian will be here, and we have to be over."

Lucas felt as though he'd been punched in the stomach, but he knew she was right. After tonight, he had to let go of her. And as much as he didn't want to, he knew it was the right thing to do. But, for that night, he was going to make her his one last time, and he was going to make it memorable.

"Tell me your favorite quote, Lucas," Brooke whispered, finally looking back into his eyes. He furrowed his brow. "From everything we read to each other this summer, what was your favorite one?"

Lucas thought back on all the nights the two shared sitting under a lamppost on the beach or at the river court, just reading from various books to each other. He remembered the first time they had done it, and how surprised he was that Brooke actually enjoyed anything like that. That was probably the first time he realized that Brooke wasn't only just a beautiful and brilliant cheerleader, but a beautiful and brilliant girl with so many layers of surprises and walls all covering this vulnerable young woman. Her face lit up as he fluently read through the words of Walt Whitman. And before that moment, his heart had never beaten that fast for one person. And through all of the nights following that one, one quote stuck heavily in his memory.

"The heart has it's reasons, that reason knows nothing of," he let roll off his tongue without having to think.

"Pascal," Brooke smiled. "I love that one."


	3. Back To Reality

_Back with a new chapter FINALLY! Sorry for the delay! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Enjoy!!_

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_**Chapter 2**_

_**Back To Reality**_

_**August 10, 2009**_

_**11:52 a.m. **_

Lucas entered through his bedroom door, and pulled the ear buds out of his ears. The memories from the night before still haunted him that morning, even though Brooke had got up and left without even stirring him. He ran home from Nathan and Haley's, hoping some rigorous exercise would help rid him of the memories that made his pants get tight. He lifted the bottom of his white t-shirt up and started to wipe his brow, and as he turned towards the bed, he saw someone unexpected.

For some reason, he had missed Peyton more than he thought he would, and he didn't realize it until he saw her sitting on his bed, one leg propped up, while the other laid flat against the bed. Her curly blond hair was now a little darker than he remembered when she left, but a huge smile was plastered on her face. Yes, somewhere deep down, Lucas had missed the leggy blond.

"Peyton," he gasped. He stood planted in his spot, until he remembered he should be hugging her, since they hadn't seen each other in over two months. His feet propelled him forward, and soon he had his arms wrapped around his girlfriend. She smelled of her mom's fabric softener, the same smell she had had since he had known her.

"I missed you," she spoke into his shoulder. And he so desperately tried to say it back, but he couldn't lie to her.

"When did you get back?" He questioned.

"It was late last night," she told him. "I couldn't wait to see you, though. Your mom said to just go ahead and come in here to wait for you."

"Is she here?" He questioned, pulling back from their hug.

"No," Peyton shook her head. "I think she had to go to the café."

"Yeah, probably," he nodded.

"I missed you so much, Lucas," Peyton pulled him back into her, and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "Camp was so boring. I mean, all the music was cool and stuff, but I just felt too old to be there anymore."

"You were a counselor, though, right?" Lucas asked. He once again pulled back from their hug, and sat down on his bed. She followed suit.

"Yeah," Peyton nodded. "I don't know, it was okay I guess. But, just like every summer that I go away, I missed you like crazy," she cupped his cheek, and leaned in to kiss him.

And Lucas froze. He hadn't kissed anyone but Brooke that summer, and even just the night before he had. And it wasn't the only thing he had done with his mouth. He would never let Peyton kiss him after he had gone down on Brooke. He had done enough betraying that summer; he had to have some semblance of a conscience.

"Peyton," he pulled back. He swiped a strand of hair behind her ear. "As much as I would love to kiss you right now, I haven't brushed my teeth yet today, and I really need a shower." Lame excuse. Lamest excuse ever.

"I don-"

"I'm just going to go hop in the shower real quick, okay?" He jumped up from the bed. He might even still smell like Brooke for all he knew. "I'll be right out."

"Want me to join you?" Peyton asked, seductively. And he should have said yes, because she was his girlfriend and he hadn't seen her in a long time. But, he couldn't say yes. Not only had he been with Brooke less than twelve hours before, he still didn't know if he was ready to go back to sleeping with Peyton.

"I would love for you to join me," he smiled. "But, lately my mom has been dropping in and out of the house from the café, and she would get so pissed if she caught us in the shower together."

"You're right," Peyton nodded. "I'll just wait out here."

Lucas nodded, before practically sprinting into the bathroom. The guilt must have been ripping and tearing at him from the inside out, because suddenly he felt nauseous. He placed both hands on either sides of the sink and lowered his head. He breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth until the nausea went away. When he looked up into the mirror, he barely recognized himself. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, not that he minded, but he had dark circles beneath his eyes. And while just yesterday his eyes seemed to be a vibrant blue, today they were dull, and lifeless. And he had a good idea of why they were suddenly that way.

Quickly, he pulled his shirt over his head. When his shirt was on the floor, he went and started the shower water to let it warm up. He hated having to remove Brooke's scent from himself, but if Peyton were to suspect anything, he'd be dead. They'd both be dead. And right now, Brooke wasn't ready to lose her boyfriend and best friend. Lucas wasn't sure if he was either.

_**August 10, 2009**_

_**12:45 p.m.**_

All morning, Brooke had scrubbed at her body, trying to rid herself of Lucas' scent. She didn't want it to go away, because it was all she had left of him. But, Julian had requested she meet him at the café, and she knew he'd smell Lucas on her. Or, she was paranoid he would smell Lucas on her. Either way, after scrubbing for a very long time, she could still smell Lucas on her. And while it made her body quiver, especially after the previous night's events, she had to get rid of it. So, she sprayed an unbelievable amount of perfume all over her and headed out.

Her parents had yet to buy her a car, even though she had been begging for one, so she had to walk the ten minutes to the café. The closer she got, the more nervous she became. She was so sure Julian would be able to suspect her indiscretions by just one look at her. So, she tried her hardest to put on her fake smile, and fake act. It was something she had perfected over the years. Not only was she nervous about him suspecting something, but also she was nervous that Lucas would show up, since after all it was his mom's café.

Julian smiled the minute he saw her, and even stood up from his seat. She gave him her fake smile back, and launched herself into his arms. Brooke hoped that just having his slender arms wrap around her would bring her back to the world where Julian was the love of her life. But, while she was there, she discovered she did miss him more than she had thought, but it wasn't the same as Lucas. And for some reason, in that moment, she couldn't help but think that the last three years, Julian had just been a filler until she realized her feelings for Lucas. Because it was like Lucas was the real thing, while Julian was just a faded carbon copy of him.

"I've missed you so much, hun," Julian spoke as he pulled away from his girlfriend.

"Me too," Brooke smiled, taking her seat across from him in the booth. "How was Europe?"

"It was fun, but I missed your beautiful face," he smiled as he reached across the table and took hold of her hand. "Next summer, we should plan a trip just the two of us."

"Yeah, sure," Brooke gave him a fake smile and a nod. "Only, I doubt your parents would let you go off on a vacation with me."

Julian laughed. "Yes, they know how you've corrupted their baby boy."

Brooke rolled her eyes, and tried to hide her disdain. She hardly "corrupted" Julian. She was so naïve, and inexperienced back when she met him. And while he was just as inexperienced, he used to push her so hard to do things she didn't really know if she wanted to do. But, it was three years ago, and she was over it now.

"How was your summer?" He asked. And Brooke tried so hard to hide the smile that wanted to appear on her lips. Instead, she tried to make up some lies in her head so he didn't know she'd spent almost every day with his best friend. "Did you see Lucas at all?"

"Yeah," Brooke nodded. "I-"

"Well, hello Brooke," Karen walked up to the table and cut her off before she could produce any lies. "I haven't seen you at dinner in a few days, did you find a better place to eat?"

Brooke smiled from ear to ear. A real smile. "I could never find better cooking than yours," she complimented. "I've just been busy, you know?"

"I understand," Karen nodded. "You should come over tonight for dinner, Keith and I definitely miss your jokes."

Suddenly, Brooke became very nervous. She barely knew Karen and Keith when Julian left for the summer. Now, she would have to explain to Julian why Karen was inviting her to dinner and mentioning that her and Keith miss her. And she found herself torn between wanting to be real with Karen, and wanting to hide from Julian.

"I'll definitely try," Brooke nodded. "But, I think Julian here might be occupying my time tonight."

"Ah, well of course," Karen gushed. "How was your vacation, Julian? I think Lucas missed you more than he'll admit."

"Well, Ms. Roe, it was nice," Julian nodded. "And I missed Lucas, too. More than that though, I missed your brownies. I hope you have some."

"You bet we do," Karen smiled. "You guys need some menus?"

Both shook their heads, already knowing exactly what they wanted from the café. "I want the club sandwich, hold the pickles," Julian ordered.

"Julian, you have been gone all summer," Karen shook her head. "We took that off the menu in favor of some other things. Are you sure you don't need a menu? There have been quite a few changes since you've been gone." Brooke so badly wanted to voice her agreement in that statement.

"Really?" Julian cocked his head. "I better look at it, then."

"Sure," Karen handed him a menu before leaving the table to give them some time to decide.

And while Julian stared intently at the menu, Brooke suddenly became very aware of her surroundings. Like, when the bell above the door rang, she quickly shot her head up, wondering if it was Lucas. And every time it happened, it never was him. She also noticed that while Julian read the menu, he made these weird humming noises that almost drove her crazy.

"Finally decided?" Brooke asked as he set the menu down.

"Yeah," he nodded. "So, you've been going over to Lucas' for dinner?"

Brooke nodded her head, cautiously. "I, um, was pretty lonely, you know, and Karen saw me sitting in here one night by myself for dinner, and insisted I go over there for dinner. And it was so good that I kind of adopted them as my family."

"Good," Julian smiled. "I'm glad you and Lucas finally decided to get along."

He had no idea.

_**August 10, 2009**_

_**01:34 p.m.**_

"Have you seen Brooke at all?" Peyton asked Lucas. His head shot up, and his heart started pounding at just the mention of her name.

"Yeah, yeah I have," he nodded. "She, um, was around. You know."

"Yeah," Peyton nodded, kind of put off by his nervous response. "I miss her. I might take off in a little bit to go and see her."

"Good idea," Lucas nodded with a smile. "So, what's the first thing you want to do now that you're back in Tree Hill?"

"Hmm…" she pretended to think for a moment. "How about this?" She leaned forward and pressed her lips against her boyfriend's for the first time since she left for summer camp. "That was definitely it." She smiled as she pulled away. And Lucas smiled back at her.

If he was being completely honest, it was nice kissing Peyton again. The more time he spent with her, the more he realized how much he had missed her. And then he started thinking that maybe his fling with Brooke over the summer was just that. A fling that was only meant to last for a couple of months, and then dissipate when the real boyfriend and girlfriend returned. For some reason, the thought depressed him, because he had such an amazing time with Brooke, and such overwhelming feelings for her, that he was sure she was it for him.

"What are you thinking about?" Peyton asked, breaking through his thoughts.

"Oh nothing," he shook his head. "Just about how much I missed you." He gave her a fake smile. "We should go do something tonight."

"Yeah," Peyton gushed. "Maybe Julian and Brooke would want to come along too?"

Lucas hesitated for a moment. Because as much as he wanted to see Brooke, he knew it wasn't a good idea. "They probably want to spend some time alone, though."

"True," Peyton creased her brown. "And I definitely want to spend some time alone with you, too." She leaned in and kissed Lucas again. "Let's go down to your mom's café and get something to eat."

"Okay," Lucas smiled.

_**August 10, 2009**_

_**01:54 p.m.**_

Julian's fingers intertwined with Brooke's as they walked from the café to his car. For a moment Brooke wondered why she had walked to the café when Julian could have just picked her up on his way. Of course, she didn't say anything to him, though. Instead, she went to the passenger side of the car and got in. Julian had the idea that they should head down to the beach and just hang out for a while just the two of them. And then he also insisted that the two of them go out with Lucas and Peyton that night. Brooke had objected, but Julian never swayed once he got an idea in his head. She just hoped Lucas had enough sense to not agree to it.

The hot sand felt refreshing against the soles of Brooke's feet. The wind blew her hair in all directions, and for a moment she forgot that she was with Julian, and felt as if she was alone, and was comforted by the thought. But, then he started talking to her, and she came crashing back to reality. She tried very hard to pay attention to him, but most of the things he was saying had to do with things about his trip. And she doubted his little trip to Europe was anything compared to the summer she experience. For some reason, she laughed out loud at the thought, and luckily, it had been right about the time Julian was saying something funny.

Julian laid his towel out onto the sand, and then retrieved a drink from the cooler. He continued his stories about Europe as he sat down onto the beach towel. And Brooke stood back, dejected. Whenever she had gone with Lucas to the beach, he had always laid her towel out, got her a drink, made sure she was comfortable. And now she had to get used to being back with Julian. Who had long ago dropped the chivalry act, if he had ever done it. She sighed as she laid her towel out and got a bottle of water from the cooler before sitting down next to Julian.

"My mom and dad finally decided to buy me a car," Brooke spoke up the second Julian finished what he was saying.

"Really?" Julian questioned.

"Yeah," Brooke nodded. "They haven't yet, but said they would as soon as they return from Hawaii. And I get to pick whatever car I want."

"Awesome. What kind do you plan on getting?"

"Not sure yet," Brooke shrugged. "Whichever one makes me look the best," she smiled.

"You would say that," Julian cracked a smile. "Sometimes it's better to not shop just for looks, Brooke."

And in that moment, Brooke wondered if Julian hadn't been there for her during that really rough patch she went through, if she would actually still be with him. Because sometimes it seemed like all he did was treat her as though she were a child.

"I know," Brooke shrugged. "But, there is some importance in looks. I mean, you're not attracted to me because of my brain, right?"

"Well, no," Julian shook his head. "But, when it comes to a car, you have to factor in gas and stuff. How well the brand treats their customers. Buying a car is a big decision, and shouldn't be taken lightly. What if you got some awesome looking piece of crap? You'd be screwed."

Brooke sighed, and looked out towards the ocean. For once, she wished Julian could just relax and be fun while he was with her. She wondered how Julian and Lucas acted when they were together. Because, Lucas loved basketball, while Julian loved to try to make movies. Lucas was laid back and easy going, while Julian was kind of uptight, and judgmental. And as she thought of all of this, she wondered what in the hell the two had in common?

"Haley said I should get a VW Beetle because they're good on gas and VW treats their customers really good," Brooke offered.

"Haley?" Julian narrowed his eyebrows. "Since when are you friends with Haley?"

"We, um, well, we-" Brooke cleared her throat.

"When I left, you two barely had spoken two words to each other."

"When I-uh- started going over to Lucas' for dinner and stuff, sometimes Nathan and Haley would be there…and we just kind of started hanging out after that. She's actually pretty awesome."

"She is cool," Julian nodded. "I just didn't think you two would have much in common. Haley was more of the nerdy type in high school, and you're head cheerleader."

Brooke tried not to take offense to that, and shrugged it off. She was sure he didn't mean anything by it, but something about it kind of stung. She wasn't sure if Julian was putting her down as an airhead, or if Haley being a "nerd" was degrading. Either way, the whole statement was just off.

"Haley wasn't nerdy," Brooke defended her friend. "She was a tutor, but she wasn't a nerd. Did you know that's how her and Nathan met? She started tutoring him? That's kind of romantic, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," he shrugged. "I can't believe they got married right after graduation. That's a bad idea, if you ask me."

Well, nobody did! Brooke wanted to scream. "Why? If you love someone enough, why isn't that just enough?"

"We'll see if they're still in love in three years," he rolled his eyes. He took a sip from his drink, while Brooke reeled over his comments. "Listen, hun, I don't really want to talk about everyone else anymore. I haven't seen you all summer, and I just want to spend these next couple of weeks getting reacquainted with you." He reached over and pulled Brooke against him while he laid back. "I missed you being in my arms so much," he spoke into the top of her head.

And while Brooke had just been so pissed at him, she cooled down because being in his arms was more comforting than she thought it would be. She had missed him. She definitely had missed him. And for once that summer, she actually felt like she was doing something right. Like, maybe this was exactly where she belonged, no matter how much he drove her crazy, or how much she thought she was in love with Lucas.

_**August 10, 2009**_

_**3:17 p.m.**_

" Hey Haley, I'm home!" Nathan's deep, boisterous voice filtered through the small apartment. He chuckled a little as he sat down his bag. "Hey honey, I'm home," he mumbled to himself, continuing his chuckle.

"You think you are so slick, don't you?" Haley came from their bedroom, her hair tied up in a messy ponytail, and paint dried on her face.

"Painting?" Nathan questioned.

"Yeah, the white in the bedroom was boring me," she wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and kissed his lips tenderly. "I can't wait until we're multi-millionaires and you don't have to leave me for eight hours of the day."

"Mmm…" Nathan moaned. "That sounds so good." They kissed one more time before Haley removed her arms from his neck.

"How was work, husband?"

"Same as always," Nathan shrugged. "How long did Lucas stay this morning?"

"A little bit," Haley spoke as she went into the kitchen. "Was Brooke here when you left? Usually she at least stays until I wake up to say good bye and stuff."

"She left the same time I did," Nathan told her, following her into the kitchen to get a glass of water. "She was acting kind of weird. Like, she was trying to sneak out or something."

"She was asking me some weird questions last night," Haley pulled some boxes of food out of the cupboard. "I think there's something up with her. Like maybe she had cheated on Julian or something."

"Really?" Nathan set his glass of water down and turned towards Haley. "Those two have been together for so long…I don't think so, Hales. They're kind of like Lucas and Peyton, you know? Boring and always going to be together."

"I'm just saying what she was acting like," Haley shrugged, emptying the box into a baking pan. "I didn't think she would ever cheat on him either, but, it was like she was talking about this forbidden love or something. And she wouldn't let me ask any questions or she wouldn't explain anything."

"Hmmm…" Nathan thought for a moment. "Maybe her and Lucas are secretly seeing each other behind everyone's backs?"

Haley stopped what she was doing to look up at her husband. And then she laughed. "You have such a vivid imagination," she chuckled. "There's no way those two would screw up their life long friendships for a summer fling."

"Who knows, right?" Nathan shrugged his eyebrows. Haley laughed him off, and put her soon to be dinner in the oven. "I need to take a shower."

"Okay," Haley nodded. "I'll be out here, waiting."

"Oh, no," Nathan shook his head, walking up behind his wife and wrapping his arms around her waist. "You see, the good thing about working all day and coming home to your wife is that when you have to take an after-work shower, she is obligated to join him."

"Is that so?" Haley asked.

"It is," Nathan nodded, kissing her neck. "You know, to help clean those really dirt spots that are just too hard to reach."

"Oh, of course," Haley moaned as Nathan nibbled on her ear lobe.

Nathan squeezed Haley beneath his arms and lifted her up. He loved being married, and he loved being married to Haley even more. He carried her into the bathroom and didn't even shut the door behind him. Because being married and having your own apartment meant you didn't need to hide the fact that you were going to make love to your wife. And be very loud while doing it.

_**August 10, 2009**_

_**4:01 p.m. **_

Lucas had spent all afternoon with Peyton. All afternoon, and while he enjoyed catching up with her, and just hanging out with her, missing Brooke was still there. Earlier he had thought that he had missed Peyton as his girlfriend, but the more time he spent with her, the more he realized he didn't. He missed Peyton, his friend, but not Peyton, his girlfriend. And he yearned just to see a glimpse of Brooke's angelic face.

They had gone to the café, only to end up back in his room, listening to music. Just like they had always done. They were joking back and forth, like things were normal, but for Lucas, they weren't. He had no physical attraction for her anymore, and he didn't know how he was going to hide it. And he felt incredibly guilty about it.

He shuffled through a few files on his laptop, while Peyton bobbed her head along to the music playing softly in the background. "There's a concert tonight we could head out and see," Peyton spoke.

"That could be fun," Lucas nodded, not taking his eyes from his screen.

"I'm gonna try calling Brooke to see if her and Julian want to meet us," she stood from his bed to retrieve her cell phone.

"You know Brooke and Julian aren't into the same kind of music we are," Lucas tried to deter her. "We could just go. Just the two of us."

Peyton smiled at him, but ignored what he was saying. She scanned through her contacts until Brooke's name was highlighted, and pressed call on her phone. It rang a few times, but no one answered, so she left a message inviting her best friend and boyfriend to the concert that night.

"She didn't answer," Peyton shrugged, tossing her cell phone onto the bed. She walked over to Lucas and sat on his lap, blocking his view of his laptop screen. Her arm wrapped around his neck, and she kissed his lips. "Since there's a possibility we won't be alone tonight, I think we should make love now," she shrugged her eyebrows and kissed him once again.

Lucas chuckled nervously, but kissed her back. "I-I don't have any condoms," he spoke, sheepishly.

"I do," Peyton smiled. "I've been looking forward to this since the day I freakin' left, Lucas." She kissed his mouth with more fervor.

Lucas took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down. He didn't want to look like a bumbling idiot while he tried to reject her. "Peyton," he swiped a strand of hair behind her ear. "You know I've missed you just as much, and I've missed being intimate with you, but my mom comes home soon and I don't want to be rushed. Okay?"

"Lucas," Peyton whined, sticking out her bottom lip. "It's been so-"

"Lucas, I'm home!" Karen called from outside his room. _Saved by his mother. _

"Oh," Peyton' mouth fell open. "That was weird."

"I told you," Lucas chuckled, helping Peyton up from his lap. He stood as well and walked out to greet his mother. "Hey, ma, how was your day?"

"Not too bad," she shook her head. "Hello, Peyton."

"Hey Karen," Peyton waved.

"I saw Julian and Brooke today," Karen informed them. "I invited Brooke over for dinner tonight, but she said something about spending the night with Julian. How come she hasn't been coming over for dinner lately, Lucas? It worries me that her parents leave her alone so much."

Peyton stood confused. Brooke, eating at Lucas' house?

"I guess she's been busy," Lucas shrugged. "Maybe her parents have come back into town."

"Either way, you make sure that girl is okay."

"Julian is back now, so I'm sure he'll make sure she's okay," Peyton spoke up, her jealousy showing. Both Lucas and Karen turned to look at her.

"I'm not saying he won't," Karen spoke up, feeling as though she should defend herself.

"I'll get her to come over for dinner tomorrow," Lucas placated his mom, to try and end the conversation before it turned into something it shouldn't be. "Peyton and I will be in my room if you need anything, okay?"

"Sure, Lucas," Karen nodded. "Oh, and tonight we're having dinner with just you, me, and Keith, so don't think about going anywhere. Keith is leaving tomorrow for Charlotte for a week."

"Okay, ma," Lucas nodded, before turning around and heading into his room.

"Guess the concert is off?" Peyton questioned, plopping onto Lucas' bed.

"Yeah, sorry," Lucas frowned. "We have two weeks before school starts though."

"Why is your mom so concerned for Brooke?" Peyton asked. "I didn't even know your mom knew her that well."

"Brooke started hanging out at the café this summer, and my mom noticed she was always in their at dinner time by herself, and started inviting her over for dinner. You know how my mom is when it comes to that stuff."

"Yeah," Peyton nodded, a frown still on her face.

_**August 10, 2009**_

_**7:48 p.m.**_

Brooke chewed nervously at her nail as she sat on the side of her bed. She was cold. No clothes protected her body from the cooled air in her house. Her shirt, and skirt lay discarded on the floor, as though they meant nothing. One of Brooke's arms wrapped tightly around her stomach, and her legs bounced nervously. She shouldn't have allowed any of it to happen.

Julian was in the bathroom. He took a shower immediately afterwards every time, leaving Brooke cold and lonely. She could hear the water from the shower bouncing off the floor. It flooded her ears. She needed so badly to run from that room. She hated herself. How could she sleep with Lucas the night before, and then sleep with Julian not even twenty-four hours later?

The small brunette stood from the bed, and grabbed her clothes. She threw them into laundry basket, and grabbed some sweats and a t-shirt from her closet. She paced her room until the water in the shower stopped. She needed to get out of that room, she felt as though she were suffocating.

"I'm going to take off, Brooke," Julian spoke upon exiting the bathroom. "I'm tired and want to get to bed."

"Okay," she nodded.

"See you tomorrow, hun," he gave her a quick peck on the lips and left.

Nervous teeth gnawed away at tiny nails. Nail biting was a habit Brooke broke herself of in junior high, only proving just how conflicted the brunette now was. She desperately wanted to go to Lucas, just to be comforted, but how could she be comforted by the one she felt as though she had betrayed? But, how could sleeping with her boyfriend be betraying Lucas?

She opened her door, and stood motionless in the night air. A humid breeze tickled her nose, and wrapped around her small frame. Brunette locks were whisked upwards in the light breeze. Brooke's whole world seemed to be crashing down around her, and she felt as thought there was nothing she could do to stop it, and no one else to blame but herself.


	4. Good Girls Go Bad

**Hey my faithful readers! You have to be faithful to put up with my lack of updating! Sorry about that! I have been VERY uninspired lately! I haven't even been watching the show….**

**Anyway! I got enough inspiration to finish this chapter! YAY! I wrote it all tonight, and I was kind of rushed so there may be a few typos. The beginning is kind of a flashback, but kind of a continuation of last chapter. Last chapter there was no BL, and this one, well, there is! And I just wanted to show how hard of a time the two are having trying to avoid each other! So, that's enough explanations. **

_**Chapter 3**_

_**Good Girls Go Bad **_

_**August 10, 2009**_

_**11:48 p.m.**_

_Brooke can't sleep. She tried shutting her eyes so tight, hoping maybe they'd get stuck that way. It didn't work. Her skinned burn. Every place that Julian had touched. Every piece of skin that Lucas had sweetened, Julian had spoiled. She had never felt so dirty before. And she had tried scrubbing at her skin in the shower. Soon, she would have no skin left. _

_Julian was her boyfriend. He had been for so long. She had to keep reminding herself of that as she scolded herself for letting him climb on top of her. He was her boyfriend, and she was doing the __**right**__ thing by sleeping with him. It was __**wrong **__to sleep with Lucas. Not the other way around. Yet, her stomach churned every time she thought of him between her legs. _

_A lonely tear slid down her face. Quickly, tiny fingers swiped it away. She __**could not**__ cry because she had sex with her boyfriend. She could cry if he broke her heart, or something horrible happened to him, but not because she had slept with him. _

_Her bed was cold, and it still smelled of Julian. She had to get rid of it. She got out of her bed, and ripped the sheets off. The brunette didn't bother putting them in the wash, instead she threw them away. There were brand new sheets in the hallway closet, and she grabbed them. After the deep purple sheets were on her bed, she sat down on them. _

_She needed __**him**__. _

_It had been a long day. And she tried so hard to get into Julian the way she should be. It was exhausting trying to push Lucas to the back of her brain, and focus on her boyfriend. But everything reminded her of Lucas and their summer together. _

_There was a soft tap, tap, tap on her door. The door that led to her backyard. She jumped, and oxygen left her lungs, but she knew who it was. _

_"Brooke," his husky voice called from outside the door in a whispered tone. "It's me." _

_A smile briefly slipped onto Brooke's lips. He came when she needed him. But, he was __**still **__there. _

_"I missed you," Lucas confessed. _

_Brooke breathed deep, and stood. They had ended whatever they were already, and she obviously needed to be the one to stand by what they said. She had to be the strong one. And she was determined to be just that. _

_Then, she opened the door. _

_"Lucas," she said, sounding more relieved that she meant to. _

_"I'm sorry," he quickly apologized. "I know we said no more, but, I couldn't stop thinking about you all day." _

_"Lucas," she shook her head and sighed. _

_"I brought a book," he held up the book, hoping it would be some kind of a bribe that would work. And she smiled, even though she didn't mean to. She stood back and let him into her room. _

_Once her door was shut, she took another deep breath, praying for the willpower to resist Lucas. Then she turned around, and was met by him pressing his lips to hers, and his hands grabbing her waist. She couldn't help but wrap her arms around his neck, and press her torso against his. His scent was intoxicating, and his touch was numbing. He pulled back before she could. _

_"I'm sorry," he once again apologized. _

_"Don't," Brooke her hand up and shook her head. "It's okay," she spoke softly. "I missed you, too." _

_His face lit up into a smile. He grabbed her hand, and kissed her knuckles, before leading her to the bed. _

_"You got new sheets?" He questioned. _

_He had to remind her of the sheets. "Yeah," she nodded. _

_"Come on," he gestured to her as he climbed onto the bed, and sat with his back against the headboard. He reached his hand out for her, and she grabbed onto him, crawling on the bed, and sitting with her back against his chest._

_Her body melted into his. _

_"They're going to hate us, Lucas," Brooke spoke first, breaking the comfortable silence that had surrounded them. _

_"Shhh," he quieted her, and kissed the back of her head. _

_Brooke shut her eyes, and fell back farther into his arms. It was funny that the one causing so much trouble in her life was the only one that could truly comfort her. _

_She opened her eyes back up, and turned her head far enough so that she could see into his eyes. "You know I love you, right?" Lucas gave her a half smile, and was about to respond before she cut him off. "And I hate you for it." _

_"I love you too, Pretty Girl," Lucas whispered back, burying his face into the crook of her neck. She may never be his completely, but she'll always be __**his**__ Pretty Girl. _

_***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***_

_**August 15, 2009**_

_**3:35 P.M. **_

"What are you taking, Brooke?" Peyton asked as she watched her friend down a pill.

"Just something to get rid of that sore throat I had," she shrugged. "Rachel got these pills from Mexico that she said would get rid of it."

"Oh," Peyton furrowed her brow. "You're trusting Rachel _and_ some pills she got from Mexico?"

"She said her parents get them so they don't have to go to the doctor when they get sick and stuff," Brooke shrugged again. "So she gave them to me, and it's gotten better. I'm not complaining."

Peyton nodded, satisfied with her friend's answer. It was well known that Peyton didn't like Rachel, and Rachel reciprocated her feelings. Brooke felt uncomfortable mentioning Rachel when she was with Peyton, but her red headed friend had become a common presence in her life. Especially since Brooke felt too guilty to be around her so-called best friend anymore.

"So, how are you and Julian?" Peyton plopped down onto her queen-sized bed. "It seems like I've barely seen you since I've been home and I have no idea what's going on in your life."

"It does seem that way," Brooke smiled weakly as she put her pill bottle back into her purse, and tossed it onto Peyton's desk. "And we're okay," she went over to the bed and sat down next to the blonde. She hated lying to Peyton, but telling the truth would open Pandora's box.

"Luke's been acting kind of weird," Peyton confessed, getting to the point of why she brought up Brooke's relationship. "Like distant or something."

"Really?" Brooke fingered the maroon bedspread. This was the last conversation she wanted to have with Peyton.

"Yeah," Peyton nodded. It had never been easy for her to open up and reveal how she really felt. The right words didn't seem to come out, and she just plain couldn't explain it, but she needed to get Lucas' peculiar behavior off her chest. Maybe her best friend would have some insight for her.

Brooke cleared her throat, and then forced herself to look at Peyton. "What do you mean?" She forced herself to ask.

"I don't know," Peyton sighed. "Maybe I'm looking too much into it or something? I guess, it's just that he's been like…like he doesn't want to really be around me. Well," Peyton shook her head, "it's not even that. He does spend time with me. It's just not the same. He's there, but he's not there."

Brooke nodded, but didn't know what to say. The truth was, she was sure Julian felt the same way about her. It wasn't easy. The feelings that you know you should be with one person, because it was what you were used to, and what you knew, but feeling like your entire soul belonged to someone else.

"His kisses aren't the same," Peyton continued. "There's no feeling behind them. We haven't even had sex since before I left for the summer."

Brooke's stomach dropped. He hadn't slept with Peyton? Her stomach started to turn in a knot, and she tried hard to swallow the lump in her throat. How could he go without sleeping with his own girlfriend? It was an obligation. One that she found hard to avoid.

"You haven't?" She murmured.

"No," Peyton shook her head. "And I've tried, believe me. He always has an excuse, though. Like his mom is going to be home soon, or she could come home at anytime. I try to get him to come here, but he always has something else to do."

Brooke's chest started to feel tight, and it became increasingly harder to breath. It was hard hearing Peyton talking about kissing Lucas, and trying to sleep with him, but damn if Lucas didn't disappoint. Had he really been strong enough to resist his girlfriend? And beause of Brooke. Her heart swelled at the thought. Maybe what they had was real? Then she squashed those thoughts. He was her best friend's boyfriend.

"What-um," Brooke struggled to think of an appropriate question, or even response.

"I love him, Brooke," Peyton beat her to the punch. "I really do, but sometimes I can't help but think about what other things I could be missing."

"So, you want to break up with him?" Brooke asked, a shimmer of hope flashing through her chest.

"No," Peyton shook her head, "no, not at all. I think it must just be normal relationship stuff. We've been together for so long, it's normal to think like that, right?"

"Right," Brooke nodded, her hope bubble popping.

"You feel that way about Julian, right?"

"Sometimes, yeah, I guess."

"I should probably just talk to Lucas about it. I just don't know how to bring it up. I'm sure he would calm my fears, though."

The two sat in silence, both thinking completely different thoughts. Brooke scolded herself for even thinking that she could truly possess Lucas. Even if he were to break up with Peyton, she couldn't get with him. It broke every girl code that there was. And she had hoped the more time they spent away from each other, the more she would forget about him, but it only made her miss him more.

"So," Peyton jumped up from her bed, "end of summer bash tonight. I can't believe we're going to be juniors. That's crazy, right?"

"Totally," Brooke nodded; glad her friend changed the subject.

"Luke's agreed to be designated driver again," Peyton walked into her closet, and came back out with an outfit in hand. "What do you think?" She held up a jean skirt, and an emerald green halter.

"Sexy," Brooke shrugged her eyebrows.

"Luke's favorite thing about me are my legs, so I have to show them off if I want to get some action," she said, and giggled. Brooke tried to laugh too, but ended up having to swallow the chunks that crept into her throat. "What are you wearing?"

"Remember that red dress my mom bought me because it was _so cute_," Brooke asked, sarcasm laced in her voice. Peyton nodded. "I made some changes to it, so now it is wearable."

_***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***_

_**August 15**_

_**5:36 p.m.**_

It was the first time since Peyton and Julian had returned home that the four of them were together. Brooke and Lucas avoided each other's yes at all costs, because they knew if they met, they wouldn't be able to look away. They wouldn't be able to hide the guilt behind them. Or the love.

Karen's Café was packed full of customers, ordering dinners. The four sat around their normal table, two of them oblivious to the obvious bond between the other two. The two blonds sat side by side, the brunettes on the other side.

"You girls look amazing," Karen smiled at Peyton and Brooke as she walked up to the table. "It's a wonder how these two boys ever got such amazing catches," she winked at Brooke.

"We wonder, too," Peyton giggled.

"Brooke, you haven't come for dinner in a while. Where have you been eating?" Karen turned her attention to Brooke, her motherly side taking control.

"I've been managing by myself," Brooke smiled meekly.

"You're looking a little skinny, I better not find out you're not eating properly. I will have to ground you," she teased.

"Ma," Lucas grunted, a bit embarrassed by her badgering Brooke.

"I'm just concerned," she defended herself. "What are you guys going to eat tonight?" The four ordered their normal meals, and Karen went back off to the kitchen.

"Oh yeah," Lucas spoke up, "my uncle wanted me to invite all of you over for dinner next Thursday. I guess he has some special thing he wants to do, and wanted me to have my friends there."

"Sounds exciting," Peyton shrugged her eyebrows, and kissed Lucas on the cheek. Brooke turned her eyes to Julian and smiled.

"Speaking of exciting," Julian chuckled, "while I was away I saw the funniest thing. We were out on the boat and we pulled up along side this pontoon, not purposely or anything, but we just so happened to find two girls butt ass naked making out."

"What?" Peyton gasped. "No shit?"

"No shit," he laughed. "It was the middle of the day and everything."

"Who were you with?" Lucas asked, almost amused by the story.

"A couple of friends," Julain explained. "Remember Travis?" Lucas nodded. "You know how he is, right? He yelled out to them. Marcus and I were trying to get him to shut up, but he's persistent. So he yells at them, and they look up, not even bothered by being caught and start flashing us."

"This is so funny," Brooke spoke sarcastically. "What happened next? They joined you guys and you had a huge orgy?" Brooke had no idea why she was acting so jealous, because she didn't actually care. But it pissed her off that he was so amused by the story.

"Brooke," Julian rolled his eyes.

"No, seriously, Julian, go on. Let's hear the story about how you caught two girls making out naked." She urged him to continue. Lucas looked at her, and she avoided his eyes. It hurt him that she was being jealous. Maybe she really did still want to be with Julian?

"You know what, Brooke?" Julian sighed. "Why don't you loosen up a bit? It's just a stupid story. If I thought I had done anything wrong, I wouldn't be telling you."

"Oh great, so now you just hide things?" She scoffed.

Peyton and Lucas sat back, feeling awkward as the two fought. Peyton sympathized with Brooke. She would be insanely jealous if she had found out Lucas had caught some girls making out. Lucas was still upset Brooke was jealous.

"Calm down, Brooke," Julian rolled his eyes. "You haven't even let me finish the story and you're already biting my head off. Why can't you just loosen up some and realize this is a funny story?"

"Funny to who?" Brooke asked. "You think it's funny, Lucas?" She turned and looked at him, and Lucas balked. His mouth hung open, and no words would come out of his mouth. "Figures," Brooke shook her head, disgusted. "I'll meet you guys at the party." She stood from the table and grabbed her purse.

"Brooke!" Peyton called after her friend.

"Let her be," Julian instructed Peyton. "She's being ridiculous."

Lucas sat silently contemplating chasing after Brooke. He couldn't believe Julian wasn't. Was she mad at Lucas, too? What had he done? Lucas took a big gulp, and swallowed his pride.

"Maybe you should go after her," he mumbled.

"No," Julian said defiantly. "It's just a story. The girls were fucking 300 pounds each."

Peyton choked on her water as what Julian had just said registered, and she started laughing uncontrollably. Even Lucas smiled.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

**August 15**

**11:00 p.m. **

The music was loud, and the bass was pounding. Lucas was annoyed. They had been at the party for over an hour, and he had yet to see Brooke. He had volunteered to be designated driver, since he didn't really see the point in getting drunk, but he was starting to regret that decision.

Peyton had taken over the music the moment they arrived, so she was otherwise preoccupied. He wasn't sure where Julian had gone off to. His dad's beach house was packed full of high school students. He always had wondered how the cops never found out about the parties since they were at the same house every year, always the Friday before school started. Then again, Dan Scott had a lot of power in the little town.

Lucas walked through the crowd into the kitchen, and finally caught sight of the brunette he'd been looking for since he had arrived.

She was slamming a drink.

"What are you doing, Brooke?" Lucas asked as he walked up to her. It was obvious the drink had a lot of alcohol. It was all he could smell the moment he walked up to her.

"Loosening up," Brooke told him, setting her cup down. "You should, too. You're _way_ too broody," she giggled. "You are soo hot, did you know that?" She asked, obviously drunker than Lucas had hoped she was.

"You're drunk," he said, trying to yell over the music.

"Really?" Brooke asked sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "Aren't you Captain Obvious?"

"What are you drinking?" He asked, grabbing the empty glass to look into it.

"I don't know," she shrugged carelessly. "_He_ made it for me," she pointed to a jock standing on the other side of the kitchen, letter jacket worn proudly. Lucas sighed. That guy was a senior and very well known for taking the virginity of most of the girls in the school. "Maybe if I get drunk enough, you can take advantage of me," Brooke shrugged her eyebrows and brought her hand up to cup his cheek.

"Brooke," Lucas shrugged away from her touch. "Maybe you should slow down."

She rolled her eyes. "You heard Julian telling me I needed to loosen up. Maybe he's right."

"He's not," Lucas put his hand on her shoulder. "Why do you care so much about everything he says to you?" It was a backhanded question. He wanted it to sound more consoling, but he meant for it to make it obvious to her he didn't like how much Julian affected her.

Brooke rolled her eyes, grabbed her cup, and walked away from him. Lucas groaned in frustration.

"Frustrated?" Rachel's voice startled him.

"I'm fine," Lucas lied.

"Yeah right," the red head rolled her eyes. "What's up with you and Brooke, anyway?" She eyed him.

"Nothing," he liked again. "What are you talking about?"

"You two seem awfully close for just being friends through your significant others. Brooke will tell me eventually, so you might as well just do her the favor."

"Whatever, Rachel," Lucas rolled his eyes. "I have to go find my girlfriend." He turned to walk away.

"We both know she doesn't do anything for you," Rachel spoke. "Not like Brooke does at least."

He rolled his eyes and walked away. It was going to be a long night.

***~*~*~*~*~***

**12:49 a.m. **

Lucas walked back into the living room, after searching the entire house for Brooke once again. Once again she had managed to avoid him. He rubbed his temples, hoping soon the other three would be ready to leave.

There was a loud cheering noise from the corner of the living room, and Lucas is always scared to see what is going on. He spotted Julian within the crowd and walked up to him.

"What's going on?" He asked. Julian nodded his head in the direction that everyone was looking. Lucas looked up, and through the crowd to see two girls sitting on the couch, making out rather heavily. "Who is that?" Lucas asked, but he didn't need to. He would know Brooke's hair anywhere.

"Who do you think?" Julian asked, laughing. "Damn, I told her to loosen up, I didn't think she'd take it seriously."

Lucas grew furious with Julian. This was not Brooke, and if she weren't drunk, she would never do what she was. In fact, Lucas was sure the next day Brooke was going to be quite embarrassed.

"She's really drunk," Lucas told Julian.

"I know," Julian shrugged his eyebrows. "Damn, that is hot!"

Lucas looked at them once again; finally figuring out it was Rachel that Brooke was making out with. Rachel gripped the back of Brooke's head, and Brooke placed her hands on Rachel's chest. If he wasn't so mad at Julian, Lucas would have been very turned on.

"You have to stop her," Lucas demanded. "Brooke would never do this sober."

"I'm not stopping her!" Julian exclaimed. "Look at that! That's every guy's dream coming true!"

"She's going to be pissed at you, man, for not stopping her." Lucas warned him. It wasn't until Julian's last comment that Lucas realized that _every_ guy at the arty was watching the show _and_ getting turned on by it.

"She'll get over it," Julian shrugged. "I wonder if anyone has a video camera."

"You're a fucking dumbass," Lucas spat at him and shook his head.

"Maybe _you're_ the one that needs a drink," Julian laughed and handed Lucas his drink. "Enjoy fantasizing about my girlfriend while you can," he said and walked away.

Lucas' anger rose. Did Julian not care at all about Brooke? Did he not care that every guy there was staring at her, getting turned on? Lucas had to stop this. He pushed through the crowd, towards the brunette and redheaded girls. Right before he reached them, Brooke put her hand up under Rachel's shirt, and Rachel started to pull the straps down on Brooke's dress. It was quickly becoming obvious Brooke did not have a bra on.

"Brooke!" Lucas exclaimed, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from Rachel before her breasts could be completely exposed. There was a collective disappointed groan from everyone in the room.

"Oh, hey Lucas," Brooke giggled. "Where have you been all night?" She asked, and then hiccupped. "You know Rachel, right?" She pointed at the girl sitting next to her. Rachel sat back with her drink in hand, and raised an eyebrow.

"I know Rachel, Brooke, what are you doing?" He asked.

"We were dared to do it," she shrugged. "I got twenty bucks out of it."

"Brooke, let me take you home. Please?" Lucas practically begged.

"No way," Brooke shook her head. "I'm having fun. Besides, I don't want to be alone right now."

"You can stay at my house. I'm sure my mom would understand," Lucas tried to persuade her.

"She's not ready to go, Lucas," Rachel sat forward, taking Brooke's side. "Come on, Brooke, let's go find something to drink."

"Okay," Brooke agreed enthusiastically. I'll see you later, sexy," Brooke winked at Lucas as Rachel drug her off.

Lucas sighed, frustrated. Damn Julian. He was the cause of all of this. He had told her to loosen up, so she did. So loose she was actually making out with Rachel, and Julian didn't do anything about it!

"You look like you need a drink," Peyton walked up behind him and put her arm around his waist.

"I'm okay," he tried to force a smile. "How are you doing?"

"Good," she nodded. "A little tipsy, I think." She giggled. "So, you think your mom would know if I snuck into your room tonight?" She pressed the front of her body against his.

"Probably not a good idea," he tried to play it off coolly. He looked up from Peyton, and behind her. Brooke was standing in the doorway, looking directly at them. She looked hurt "I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be back, okay?"

"Okay," Peyton nodded, "I'll be waiting."

She kissed him quickly on the lips, and turned around while he walked off towards the bathroom. He didn't need to go. It was a lie to get away from her. He couldn't think of ways to avoid her while his mind was so clouded with Brooke. Why was she staring at him while he was with Peyton?

Lucas went to the bathroom, even though he didn't have to. He needed some time by himself. He needed to breath. There was loud pounding on the door, and Lucas shouted that he was going to be awhile. They were persistent though, so he only got a few minutes alone before he couldn't take the pounding anymore.

"Gotta piss, bad," a drunk soon to be junior held his crotch while he walked past Lucas into the bathroom. Lucas rolled his eyes.

There was no one in the hallway. Just him. That was until he was being slammed into by some force, and forced into the closet behind him. It was Brooke. He should have known it was.

"What-"

"Drink," she handed him a bottle of Tequila.

"I can't," he tried to hand it back. "I'm designated driver."

"That's so stupid," she rolled her eyes. "We're at your _dad's_ house, why can't we just stay here?"

"I don't know, Brooke. My mom-"

"Your mom trusts you, no matter what you do. Drink," she urged the bottle up to his lips.

"Brooke, I-"

"For me," she stepped forward, putting her delicate hands on his chest. "You and I, Lucas, are going to stay in here. In this closet, and get drunk."

"You already are drunk," Lucas pointed out.

"Then you are going to sit here and drink tat until you are drunk with me," she demanded. "Just the two of us."

"What about Julian and Peyton?" Lucas asked.

"What about them? They're big kids, they can make their own way."

"They're going to wonder where we are."

"Who cares?" Brooke shrugged. "Take a drink, Lucas."

He hesitated, but the truth was, he could never deny her anything. If she told him to jump, he'd ask how high. He wanted to do anything and everything to make her happy. It was irrational, and illogical, but he wouldn't have it any other way. He tilted his head back and let the liquid burn his throat. He gagged as the brown liquid passed down his throat, having to cover his mouth to keep anything from escaping. Goosebumps covered his arms.

"Happy?" He asked once he finally squelched the urge to vomit.

"Almost," Brooke smirked. "You're not drunk yet."

"Why do I need to be drunk?" He asked, taking a step closer to her.

"Because when we fuck, I don't want you to have the excuse that you don't want to take advantage of me because I am drunk," she reasoned.

"Brooke," Lucas scolded, "we can't have sex when Julian and Peyton are right downstairs."

"We're locked in a closet, Lucas. No one's going to know." She tried to persuade him. "You can barely even hear the music in hear, you don't really think they'll be able to hear us, do you?"

"They might," Lucas raised an eyebrow, and smirked.

Brooke giggled, flirtatiously. "You are so sexy. Take another drink."

"Give me a kiss."

Brooke leaned forward and pressed her lips gently against his. He wasn't satisfied. He grabbed the back of her head with his hand. His tongue begged for entrance into her mouth, and once she granted it, her tongue met his. She pushed him back after a few moments, and he looked dejected.

"Drink." Brooke ordered. Lucas obliged. His entire body had a warmth surge through it, as the alcohol started to have some effect on him.

Brooke grabbed the bottle from Lucas, and took a drink. She shoved it back at Lucas, and he did the same. She took the bottle from Lucas and set it down. When she stood back up, she shoved Lucas in the chest, making him collide with the wall behind him.

"Are you sure about this, Brooke?" Lucas asked one last time.

"I want you so bad, Lucas," she rasped. She stepped forward and attached her mouth to his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into him. Her arms wrapped around his neck. "I don't want to make love, Lucas," she pulled away from his mouth, completely out of breath. "I want to fuck."

Lucas groaned, her words having a positive effect on his manhood. "We could," he nodded, his arms wrapping tighter around her. "We can call it whatever you want, Brooke, but you know it's always going to be about love."

Brooke moaned, and pressed her lips back on his. Swollen lips meshed against swollen lips. Lucas released his arms, and slid his hands up Brooke's dress. She stepped back from him. She reached behind her, and unzipped the zipper. The dress slid slowly to the floor, and landed in a pile at her feet.

She stepped forward and reached for the button on his jeans. "Brooke," Lucas groaned and grabbed her hand. "I don't have a condom."

"It's okay," she shook her head, undoing the button, and then lowering the zipper.

"Brooke, it's-"

"I'm on birth control, Lucas. I have been for a while," she pushed his jeans down his legs.

"Okay."

Lucas picked her up, and her legs wrapped instinctually around his hips. He sucked at her neck, wanting more than anything to leave his mark, so everyone would know she was his. He held back. Brooke moaned as his tongue slid against her skin.

"I want you now, Lucas," she purred. "Now."

Lucas pulled his boxers down and pushed her underwear to the side. He pressed his lips to hers as he slid into her. Both gasped as he entered fully, gripping each other with their hands and arms. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, and Brooke ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. He pumped in and out of her, bringing both closer and closer to their peak.

"Uhh-oh, Lucas," Brooke gasped, wrapping her legs tighter around his waist.

"I-I love you, Brooke," he grunted back.

"L-love you," Brooke responded. "I'm gonna-uh!" She gasped, as he pushed her over the edge. Her screams were enough to pull him over the edge with her. He spilled within her, and she caught all of him. Slowly, he brought them both to the floor, afraid he might fall if he tried to stand any longer. He turned so that his back was against the wall, and Brooke was in his lap.

Both didn't say anything till they had caught their breath. And even then, neither wanted to acknowledge that they were done. Lucas kept his arms around her petite frame, and Brooke kept her head rested on his shoulder.

"We'll be okay, right?" Brooke asked, pulling her head up and looking at him.

"We'll be whatever you want us to be, baby," he brushed some of her hair out of her face, and then softly kissed her lips.

"I can't stop loving you," Brooke whispered.

"I don't want you to," Lucas whispered back.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**What'd you think?! Bad, good, in between? Anybody have any thoughts on how this whole affair is going to play out? I'd be curious to see what you think. So, hit me up with a review, and I can try and respond to all of you since you took the time to respond to my chapter! **


	5. Sneaking Around and Lying

_**August 18**_

_**10:18 a.m.**_

"We are going to hell, you do know that," Brooke giggled as she pulled her panties back up her legs.

"It'll be worth it," Lucas smiled and grabbed her arm. He pulled her petite frame into his body. "I'd go anywhere with you."

"You are so hopeless," Brooke smiled before he pressed his lips against hers.

"I am," he nodded. He took a step back and flattened down the front of his shirt. "I don't think we should…do _this_ in the janitor's closet anymore, though. It's kind of reckless."

"And oh so fun," Brooke slapped his butt as he turned around. He laughed, and pulled her into his arms again. "First day of school, and you already had me in the janitor's closet. Things can only go up from here."

"I think I'd rather go down," Lucas whispered and kissed her nape. Brooke moaned.

"You like this closet so much you want to stay?" Brooke rasped, closing her eyes as Lucas trailed kisses up her neck and along her jaw line.

"I don't want to go back out there," Lucas mumbled against her skin. He pulled back, and drew in a deep breath. "But, I suppose we have to. I'm already grounded for not going home Friday night. I don't want to add another week onto my sentence."

"Aww," Brooke cooed and cupped his cheek. "Poor Lukey duke," she giggled.

"I will do anything you want forever if you never call me that again," Lucas kissed her forehead. He actually thought it was kind of cute, but only because it was from her.

"Sure, broody," Brooke shrugged. "I'll go first, and then you come out, okay?" Lucas nodded. He pulled her back into him once again, and passionately kissed her one last time. He never knew when the next time would come.

"I love you, Pretty Girl," he whispered into her ear.

"Love you, babe," Brooke gave him a small smile, before turning and exiting the closet.

There was no one in the hallway, since class had already started, but Brooke still felt the need to be discreet and quiet. Since Friday night, her and Lucas had become more reckless, but neither wanted to be caught. It was horrible what they were doing, but she couldn't resist the blond haired, blue-eyed boy that had stolen her heart.

"Brooke!" Brooke screeched and grabbed her chest while she whirled around to see who was calling her name.

"Rachel!" Brooke gasped. "Why aren't you in class?" She glanced around the hallway, afraid she had been caught by someone other than Rachel.

"Me?" Rachel snorted. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," she spoke fast, "just had to go to the bathroom."

As soon as her answer left her mouth, Lucas stepped out of the closet, and Rachel turned with her eyebrow raised. Lucas caught the two standing in the hallway, and his mouth dropped. He cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets while he slowly strolled up to them.

"The janitor closet?" Rachel laughed. "Nice."

"Yeah, I uh, was looking for something for-"

"Oh, cut it, Lucas," Rachel rolled her eyes. "You two may be able to fool the rest of this school, but I know better. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I don't even like Peyton, anyway."

Brooke and Lucas stared at each other while Rachel walked off. Rachel Gattina knowing a secret about you was never good, no matter how close of a friend you considered her to be.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**3:24 p.m.**

"There you are, I've been looking for you all day," Peyton caught up to Brooke, kind of out of breath. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were avoiding me," she chuckled as she nudged Brooke in the arm with her elbow.

Brooke let out a fake laugh, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "What's up, P.?" She asked, shoving a book into her book bag.

"You want a ride home?" She asked.

"Sure," Brooke shrugged shutting her lock door. "Julian is staying after to do some video nerd stuff, and I really don't want to walk home in these shoes," she smiled.

"Awesome," Peyton nodded. "Luke has his uncle's truck today, so I'm sure he won't mind giving us all a ride. My car is in the shop again," Peyton rolled her eyes. Brooke's stomach dropped.

"Lucas?" Brooke asked, practically choking over his name.

"Yeah." Peyton nodded eagerly. "We have to stop at his house for a few, I have to get a CD, but then we can go to my house and hang out for a little bit. Sound cool?"

"Uh-y-yeah," Brooke stuttered, faking a smile. "Of course."

Brooke took a deep breath as she followed Peyton out of the school towards Lucas' truck. The whole time she tried to come up with some excuse to just meet her friend at her house later, but for the moment, her mind was blank. The last thing she wanted was to hang out with Lucas _with_ Peyton. Or _Peyton_ with Lucas. Either way, her stomach was tying itself into knots. How dumb had she been lately believing she could continue whatever it was she had with Lucas and be okay with it?

Lucas' eyes grew wide the moment he saw Brooke walking behind Peyton. Brooke tried very hard not to look at him, but failed miserably. Of course she would. He was irresistible. She gave him a small, scared smile and she saw just the corners of his mouth turn up just a tiny bit. For some reason, it relieved her. She knew she was going to hell.

"Hey, Lucas, you don't mind if Brooke rides along do you?" Peyton asked, practically skipping up to her _boyfriend_, giving him a kiss on the lips. Brooke's stomach turned again, only it wasn't into a knot.

"No," Lucas pulled away from Peyton's kiss almost awkwardly to smile at the brunette. "No, it's fine." He gave them a half smile and then went to get into the truck.

Peyton sat between Brooke and Lucas, but Brooke could still smell his natural musk, and it still didn't obscene things to her insides. She stared out of her window the whole time, trying very hard not to stare at her boyfriend's best friend, yet trying not to make it obvious that she had sex with him that morning in the janitor's closet at school.

"Brooke, you never did tell me what happened to you at the party on Friday," Peyton gave her friend a sideways glance. "One minute I hear that you are making out with _Rachel_-yuck by the way- and the next you had just disappeared."

"Oh," Brooke turned away from the window only to catch Lucas looking at her. "I, um," she then wondered what Lucas had told Peyton. "I just got way too drunk so I left. I walked home."

"Really? Damn, you should have said something. Lucas wasn't drinking he could have drove you. You were way too drunk to be walking by yourself."

"Yeah, I was just pissed at Julian, you know?" Brooke shrugged, as if it were no big deal.

"Did he ever apologize?"

"No," Brooke shook her head, "I just kind of realized I was blowing it out of proportion. I know he wouldn't cheat on me." Brooke saw Lucas clench his jaw out of the corner of her eye.

"Did Lucas tell you what he did?" Peyton smiled wide, putting her hand on his thigh. Brooke felt jealousy build in the pit of her belly. But, she shook her head and kept her composure. "He fell asleep in one of the spare bedrooms because he was bored and tired," she laughed, snuggling into his side. "What kind of high school loser does that?" She teased.

Brooke let out of fake laugh, and quickly turned away from the _happy_ couple. Why did she agree to get a ride home with Peyton and Lucas? Why did she want to be tortured like this? It was probably because she deserved it for sleeping with her best friend's boyfriend. More than once. And in public places. With Peyton in the same building.

She breathed a sigh of relief when they pulled into Lucas' driveway and practically jumped out of the truck before Lucas even put it into park. She stood back and let the two lead her into Lucas' house. She couldn't let on that she was comfortable going into Lucas' house without Peyton there. Or even Lucas there. But, Karen greeted her with a big hug, and she saw jealously cross Peyton's face for a brief moment.

"Brooke," Karen smiled wide, "I hope you are staying for dinner."

"I would love to, Karen," Brooke smiled wide. It had been a while since she'd been for dinner, and she was actually looking forward to the comfortable and happy atmosphere.

"Good," Karen rubbed her arm. "Lucas, I told you not to let this girl starve. Look at her, she's practically skin and bones. You have not been doing your job."

"Ma," Lucas blushed, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. Peyton stood by Lucas' side, practically seething since Karen was ignoring her. It didn't sit well with her that Karen obviously favored her brunette best friend over her.

"I think you're making him blush, Karen," Brooke giggled, forgetting Peyton was in the room, naturally feeling right at home with Karen in her home. "Aw, Lucas, no need to be embarrassed." He shot her a fake evil look, to which Karen and Brooke laughed once more.

"Brooke, don't egg her on," Lucas ordered. "Besides, I have been inviting her to dinner. If you want to blame someone for her not being her, blame Brooke."

"We should go get that CD, Lucas," Peyton interrupted.

Lucas abruptly turned towards her, obviously having forgotten she was there. "Right," he nodded. "Well, you know where it is, right?" He asked and she nodded, but her eyes bugged out of her head. "Just go grab it real quick." Peyton huffed, but did as he said.

"Are you coming on Thursday, Brooke?" Karen asked, and Brooke nodded. "Keith wants all of Lucas' good friends here for some reason. He won't even tell me what he has planned." She motioned for Brooke to follow her into the kitchen.

"I bet it's something great," Brooke speculated, following her. "Knowing Keith, you're probably going to love it."

"I have no doubt about that," Karen smiled. She placed a few cups on the table and poured some orange juice into them. "Don't be a stranger from now on, okay Brooke?" Karen asked, taking a seat at the table, Brooke following.

"Sure, Karen," Brooke nodded. "You know I love it here. There's just been a lot going on lately." Lucas sat at the table with them, feeling a little bit like a third wheel. Although, his mom and Brooke often made him feel that way. It was sometimes as though they had secrets only the two of them knew about, and there was no chance anyone else would ever find them out. He watched Brooke in awe as she spoke so naturally. His mom was very important to him, so it only made sense that the girl he was completely in love with would get along great with her.

"Keith and I are going away in a couple of weeks, Brooke, so I need you to look after my house and make sure Lucas isn't doing anything he shouldn't be doing," Karen nodded her head towards Lucas as she spoke. And Lucas looked at her offended. "Hey, you stayed all night at that party your dad always lets you have and then came home hung over. I need someone responsible looking after my stuff."

Just then, Peyton walked into the kitchen, Brooke's eyes widened. "Of course I will, Karen," she said quickly and stood up. "Peyton and I are going to go over to her house, but I'll be back for dinner, okay?"

"You better be," Karen smiled.

The walk to Peyton's house was silent, as Brooke expected it to be. But, as soon as they got to her room, the blond broke down and fell onto her bed. Brooke began chewing her lip and sat down on the bed as well.

"I think he is cheating me," Peyton spoke into the mattress. "He lied about the party. He never said he had been drinking. He said he was bored and tired and went to bed. What if he left with someone?" Peyton sat up, and looked at Brooke.

"Peyton," Brooke began, but the comforting words would not come out of her mouth. No words would come out. Instead, they got stuck in the back of her throat.

"Should I confront him?" Peyton asked, tears sliding down her cheeks. "He would just lie again, I'm sure. It's just not like him to lie so much, and I have no idea what to do…."

Brooke didn't know what to do or say. She tried to think of what she would have said if it were before the summer, but she couldn't. Selfishly, she wanted to tell Peyton to break up with him. But, she couldn't. And then Peyton spoke again.

"I think I'm going to break up with him." Her words echoed in Brooke's ears.


	6. Keith's Big Dinner

**August 21**

**6:34 p.m. **

Three days had passed since Lucas' lie about the party had been uncovered. However, Peyton had ignored him since. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or not. He didn't have to create another lie, yet, he felt awkward not clearing the air with her. He wasn't sure what she wanted to do and he wasn't sure he wanted to know either. He wasn't even sure if she was coming to the dinner Keith had planned that night.

So, he helped his uncle set the table and make the food. Keith, for some reason, was really nervous and was sweating profusely. So much that Lucas had to tell him to go clean up so his sweat wouldn't drip into the food he was cooking. Lucas wasn't sure what his uncle had planned, but whatever it was, it had to be huge.

Lucas didn't even have time to think about how nervous he should be with having Julian, Brooke, and Peyton all at his house for dinner. He just anxiously awaited for the food to be done and the dinner to get started. And when Brooke was the first to arrive, he couldn't help the huge smile that formed on his face.

"Hey pretty girl," he greeted her as she walked into the kitchen.

"Hi broody," she smiled back. They didn't dare kiss or touch, not with the chance that a parent or significant other could walk in at any time, no matter how much they wanted to. They had continued to sneak around the last three days, even though it was harder now that Lucas was grounded. But, Brooke had been over for dinner every night that week, at Karen's insistence, and just having Brooke there was enough for Lucas.

"I saw Keith when I came in," Brooke leaned against the counter next to Lucas. "He looks nervous as hell."

"I know," Lucas chuckled. "I have no idea what he has planned, but it's going to be huge." Brooke smiled, not looking at Lucas. "Wait," Lucas turned fully towards her. "You know, don't you?"

Brooke looked up at him, wide eyed. "What?" She asked, trying to play non-chalant.

"You do!" Lucas exclaimed. "You've known at you haven't told me?" He had to admit, he was kind of surprised she had been able to keep in the secret. He had known her to accidently blurt things without meaning to.

"You're going to love it," she shrugged. "Besides, this is important to him. I couldn't have told you. It would ruin everything."

"You little sneak," he narrowed his eyes. "I can't believe he told you and not me."

"He had to tell someone," she shrugged. "Besides, he wanted a girl's opinion on some things. You shouldn't act so surprised that your mom and uncle love me more than you." She gave him a sarcastic, but playful smile.

"I'm not surprised," he said softly. He brought his hand up and cupped her cheek affectionately and their eyes connected. It was times like these that they truly remembered why they couldn't stop seeing each other behind everyone's backs. Their eyes would lock, and connect from deep within them. They couldn't explain the feeling they got when it happened.

"Hey guys," Julian's voice interrupted them, and Lucas abruptly jerked his hand away and started stirring his food. "What's up with the dinner, man?" He asked, walking up to the two, oblivious to the exchange that had just happened.

"Not sure," Lucas shrugged, not looking at him, "but Keith is pretty damn nervous."

"Is Peyton coming?" Brooke asked. Lucas shrugged, not looking up at her. She would know more than he would.

"Dinner ready?" Keith asked, walking into the kitchen. His hair was wet, so he had taken Lucas' advice and taken a shower.

"Almost," Lucas nodded, finally turned around. "Glad to see you're dripping with clean water now," he teased.

"Funny," Keith shot him an evil look. "You guys get out of here and I'll finish up."

The three obeyed Keith, and went into the living room, where Karen had just let in Peyton. She smiled timidly at the three, but barely looked at Lucas. Lucas felt awkward, but he didn't want their unresolved mess to get in the way of his uncle's big night.

"Is he almost done in there?" Karen asked.

"You can come and sit down to eat," Keith answered from the kitchen doorway. All of them made their way into the kitchen and sat down. Lucas helped Keith serve the food to everyone and then they all sat down.

It was an awkward silence that fell over them, since they were all waiting for Keith's big surprise. Instead, though, he started eating, not looking up from his plate. Lucas almost burst out laughing at the way Keith was ignoring everyone in the room. But, whatever his uncle was going to do he was very nervous about, so he didn't bother him about it. About halfway through eating, Keith finally set down his fork and looked up.

"Well," he began and cleared his throat, "I 'spose you probably all wonder why I wanted everyone here." He started to sweat again. The other five set their forks down too, kind of surprised Keith was going to do it in the middle of eating until waiting until everyone was done. "Well, I guess it was because I have something important to ask Lucas and I wanted him to have the people who mean the most to him here with him."

"Me?" Lucas asked, kind of confused.

"Yeah, well, and your mom," Keith nodded, seeming as though he was kind of losing his nerve. Brooke reached over and squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring nod and smile. Which baffled Julian and Peyton, but made Lucas' heart swell. "Lucas," Keith cleared his throat, "I wanted to ask you if it would be okay, if it was alright with you, if I asked your mom to marry me." He said all in one breath.

Lucas' eyes grew wide, and Karen let out an "oh!" and brought her hand to her mouth. Keith met her eyes, and then never took them away. She started to tear up, and so did Brooke.

"Well?" Keith asked after not getting a response for a few moments.

"Of course!" Lucas exclaimed.

Keith then turned towards Karen and took both of her hands. "Karen, I have been in love with you since I was about seven and you stole that frog from me and you had mud all over your face from chasing them through the rain. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" The tears streamed down Karen's face as she nodded her head.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, and Keith wrapped his arms around her in a relieved and happy way. They embraced each other for a few long moments before pulling apart and kissing.

Then Keith turned back towards Lucas. "And I wanted to know, if it was okay if I adopted Lucas."

Lucas immediately nodded, knowing Keith had been his dad his whole life. "You're the only dad I've ever know," Lucas nodded. He stood, as well as Keith and they embraced for a few moments.

When they broke apart, Keith went back to Karen, and Lucas wanted nothing more than to go to Brooke. And he started to, until Peyton stepped in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She congratulated him and held on to him tightly. But, all he could do was stare at Brooke over her shoulder. When she let go, she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Congratulations, man," Julian also gave him a less intimate hug and a pat on the back.

When he finally got to Brooke, he had to refrain from picking her up and taking him up to his room. That was the only way his night could get better. In fact, he thought he should probably just avoid hugging her altogether since he knew he wouldn't be able to control himself. But, he didn't. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and nuzzled his nose into her hair. He heard her congratulate him, but instead of thanking her, he whispered, "I love you," into her hair. He forced himself to pull away from her so it didn't seem weird. But, he wanted nothing more than to just kiss her and pull her into his arms again.

Instead, they all sat back down and started to finish off their dinner. It was no longer silent as the girls began to plan Karen's wedding and wedding dress, and the guys just laughed along and rolled their eyes. Lucas thought things would have been perfect if it was him sitting next to Brooke, holding her hand, and having the other two there as good friends.

When dinner was over, Karen and Keith settled in on the porch swing, cuddling, and Brooke and Julian left. Peyton followed Lucas into his room, and he had a feeling what they were going to talk about. Instead, though, Peyton began kissing him deeply.

He kissed her back, because he was supposed to, but he wasn't into it, especially since they still had yet to talk about why they hadn't spoken in three days. So, he pulled back and looked at her.

"Don't you want to talk?" He asked, watching her pull back and slouch down.

"I thought that if we could just do this. If you could just sleep with me finally, I could forget that you lied to me," Peyton said, not looking at him. "What happened tonight was great. This is a great night for you, and I just wanted to make it better," she sighed and finally looked up at him.

"Peyton, I can't get into it when you haven't even talked to me in three days before tonight," Lucas pointed out.

"Just the fact that you don't want to forget about it just proves everything to me," she looked down at her hands again. And Lucas didn't say anything. "I don't think you are in this relationship anymore. Ever since I've been back, you've been different. Distant."

"I'm sorry, Peyton, I'm not-"

"Don't," she stopped him. "Don't lie, okay? If you're cheating on me, just don't tell me, okay? Because either way I am going to break up with you and I'd rather do it like this than like that."

"Peyton," Lucas spoke, his voice low, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she said through a breath. "I mean, we're only juniors in high school and we've been together for so long. It's time to see what else is out there, right?" She looked at him hopefully, and he nodded his head.

He shouldn't feel relieved, but he did. He knew he should be trying to talk her out of it, but he couldn't. Everything she was saying was right. He hadn't been into her for a while now, and he was only hurting her more by staying with her. He had to let her go. And it was better that it was on her terms.

"The fact that you're not even trying to fight this just proves to me that this is right," a lonely tear slid out of her eye and down her cheek.

"Peyton," Lucas sighed. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I know," she smiled and looked up at him. "It's better this way, right? We'll be okay? I know everyone says it, but we can still be friends? It'll just take time."

"Right," Lucas shook his head. She finally stood and wrapped her arms around her waist. Lucas stood as well. "I never wanted to hurt you, Peyton."

"I know, Lucas," she nodded, and more tears fell down her face. "I told myself I wasn't going to cry," she wiped hastily at the tears and kind of laughed. Lucas felt his heart begin to sink. He really had never meant to hurt her. "Just, don't go get a girlfriend next week and flaunt her in front of me, okay?" She tried to joke.

"Okay," Lucas laughed, and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Slowly, they pulled away from each other.

"Good night, Lucas," Peyton said and turned away from him, leaving him alone in his room.

He stared at the spot she had just been, and felt a little sad. A _little_ sad. He should feel worse, but he couldn't. He just felt relieved. Relieved and guilty. But, he knew it was right.

The events from the night still had him reeling, and he knew he couldn't stay in his room and be alone anymore. So, he grabbed a book and started to walk to Brooke's house. Julian's car was driving down the street in the opposite direction just as he got to Brooke's house, so he figured he must have just left. He went to Brooke's door and knock softly on it. She opened it with a smile on her face. It was such a change from when she used to open it to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her fully on the lips.

"I've been wanting to do that all night," he said as he pulled away.

"Me too," Brooke smiled, letting him into her room. "So, are you happy?"

"Of course I am," Lucas smiled wide. "I'm glad they're finally getting married."

"It's so cute," Brooke gushed. "Your mom and Keith are so…I can't even explain it. I didn't even know love like that existed."

"I did," Lucas pulled her back into him.

"I meant for parents."

Lucas kissed her on the forehead and then let go of her. "Um," he cleared his throat. "I don't know if you're going to be happy about what I am about to tell you."

"What?" Brooke blanched, thinking all kinds of bad thoughts. The worst one, though, was that he had finally slept with Peyton.

"Peyton broke up with me tonight," he said slowly.

"She did?" Brooke asked, her face slipping from a smile to a frown.

"Yeah," he nodded. "It wasn't bad or anything, she seemed okay, but it is kind of my fault."

"_Our_ fault," Brooke corrected him, plopping onto her head.

"_My fault_," Lucas insisted, sitting next to her. "You can't help it that I fell completely in love with you." She gave him a sarcastic smile. "You can't help that your dimples turn me on, and your voice does obscene things to certain body parts of mine."

"You're disgusting," she giggled as he leaned into her until she was lying against the bed, and he was on top of her.

"You're beautiful." He kissed her again. "Now, all we have to do is get Julian to break up with you," he nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck.

"Lucas," Brooke sighed.

"I know it's wrong of me," he pulled back to look into her eyes. "But, I can't help but be completely selfish when it comes to you. I just want it to be okay that we're together. I just want to tell everyone that I am so in love with you and that you're mine."

"You're awfully possessive, Lucas Scott," Brooke teased, deciding to take the lighter side instead of delving into the many reasons why they could never actually be out in the open.

"That may be _your_ fault," Lucas accused, attacking her mouth with his as she started to giggle.


	7. A Bump in the Road

**Well, I have officially finished nursing school. Yay for me! Which, I will now use an excuse for not updating in so long. Well, it's been a lot of things, like lack of inspiration, and totally sucky writing. I've had half of this written for a few months now and I'm just now finishing this chapter. So, excuse the typos and such, but I am trying to get back into my grove of writing. Whatever the hell that may be. We'll see if it will improve. **

**September 12**

**11:02 a.m.**

It had been three weeks since Peyton had broken up with Lucas, and Brooke had to admit her best friend was doing surprisingly well. She had even set her sights on someone new, and Brooke was proud of her best friend for being so strong. Even if some of her feelings were just a little selfish.

It had also been the third day in a row that she found herself in the girls' bathroom, emptying her already empty stomach. She had been feeling nauseous a lot lately, and really tired. She figured she was getting the flu or something, but kept going to school anyway. After she was done in the stall, she went to the sink and rinsed her mouth out. It was Friday, so she was going to use her sickness to her advantage and cut out on school early. Karen and Keith were leaving that night to go away for the weekend, and Brooke couldn't wait to sneak over to Lucas' house and hide out.

Rachel was waiting for her at her locker when she got there. "Don't you ever go to class?" Brooke raised her eyebrows.

"Don't you?" Rachel retaliated. "Listen, bitch, there's a party tonight and I wanted to make sure you are going to be there."

"No," Brooke shook her head. "I have other things going on. Besides, the whole school is going to be there, why do you need me there?"

"Because I don't like the whole school?" Rachel rolled her eyes. "What's on the agenda tonight? Going to take advantage of Lucas' parents being gone?"

"How do you know about that?" Brooke asked, really astonished the red head knew so much.

"It doesn't matter," Rachel shook her off. "When are you going to dump Julian's lame ass for Lucas?"

"Seriously, Rach, I can't talk about this," Brooke turned and put her hand on her hip. "Who knows who you'll tell."

"I can't believe you don't trust me by now," Rachel rolled her eyes. "You're the only friend I have here, why would I want to tell you out to all these losers? I'm just trying to look out for you."

"Look out for me?" Brooke scoffed.

"Yes, Brooke," Rachel sighed. "You're the only friend I've had in a long time, okay?" She looked away from Brooke for a moment, and then back. "And I can see how much happier Lucas makes you. So what if you hurt a couple of people along the way, it'll be worth it."

"You have no idea how much it'll hurt others," Brooke sighed. She reached in to start pulling some books out, but her stomach turned. She placed a hand on her tummy, and squeezed her eyes shut.

"What's the matter?" Rachel asked.

"Uhh," Brooke groaned, "I feel like shit. I've been throwing up and feeling sick all the time. I think I'm coming down with something."

Rachel eyed Brooke for a moment and then her mouth dropped open. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

"What?" Brooke shrieked. "No! God, Rachel. I'm on birth control. You know that."

"Hey, I'm just saying," Rachel raised her hands. "Nauseous, throwing up, when's the last time you had your period?"

"I don't know," Brooke scoffed. She quickly shoved her books into her bag and shut her locker. "I'm not even talking about this with you. I'm going home." Rachel snickered as Brooke quickly walked away from her.

"I call God mom!" She yelled after her retreating form.

**5:30 p.m.**

"No parties, Lucas, I mean it," Karen warned as her and Keith were heading out of the door.

"I know, mom," Lucas sighed. "I'm not going to have a party. I don't even like to party."

Keith helped Karen out of the door and turned back towards Lucas. "Your mom is just stressing don't mind her." Lucas nodded. "Just keep the house clean and I won't tell your mom that Brooke is going to be here all weekend." Lucas' mouth fell open. "I was a teenage boy once, too." Keith shook his head. "Just, be careful, okay?"

Lucas nodded again and watched his mom and uncle get into their car and drive away. He pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a text to Brooke telling her that they were gone. Then, he called and ordered a pizza for the two of them. He couldn't wait to spend a weekend with her, even though it was kind of dangerous to do so. She had told Julian she would be gone for the weekend with Rachel, and he had told him that he was going away with his mom and uncle. Now, if they could get away with it, everything would be perfect.

Brooke didn't show up until well after the pizza had, and he was worried. He had tried calling and texting her, but she never answered or responded. So, when she finally walked through his door, he wrapped his arms around her and held onto her for a long time. When he pulled back, he finally noticed the worried expression and how pale she was.

"Brooke, what's wrong?" Lucas asked, leading her towards the couch and sitting her down. That was when he noticed the brown paper bag in her hand. "Are you hungry? I got us a pizza." She shook her head. "What's in the bag? Are you okay?"

"No," she shook her head.

"What's the matter, pretty girl?" He asked, brushing some of her hair behind her shoulder. "You can tell me."

Slowly, she looked up at him, and he finally saw the tears pooled in her eyes. He pulled her into his side and set his chin on top of her head. He had no idea what was wrong with her, but he didn't like her being like this. He wanted to fix everything for her. She was the one to pull away from him.

"Lucas," her voice rasped. She handed him the bag, and motioned for him to open it. He looked from her eyes to the bag, and then back to her eyes.

"You want me to open it?" He asked, and she nodded. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Just open it," she said softly.

He sighed, and slowly started to open the brown paper bag. There was a white box inside, with purple lettering. He didn't really get what it was, so he pulled it out and read the front of the box. _First Response Pregnancy Test_. Lucas felt his heart fall into his stomach, and the box slowly slid from his hand. All noise drained away except for the beating of his heart. That couldn't be what was going on. Brooke _couldn't_ be pregnant. Slowly, he turned towards her.

"Are-uh-are y-you, um-" he stuttered.

"I don't know," a sob finally choked out. "I haven't done the test, yet." She cried, the tears now falling freely from her eyes. Lucas shook his head, and tried to regain some composure. "I'm late, Lucas," she blurted. "Really late."

"Late?" Lucas asked. "Late for what?" He was being dumb, he knew he was being dumb, but he couldn't really think of what that meant right now.

"My period," she choked. "I'm late."

"Oh," Lucas said.

"And-and," she shook from crying, "I've been sick. I've been throwing up, and tired."

"You never told me," Lucas said.

"I didn't think much about it because after I did it, I was fine."

Lucas breathed deeply, trying to regain some of his composure. He shook his head a couple of times, and then pulled Brooke into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and tried to calm her down. Whatever the test said, whatever was going to happen he still loved her. No matter what, he would love her and he would stand by her through anything. He had to be strong right now, because she couldn't be. At least, that was what he told himself.

He pulled away from her and held on to both of her arms. "You haven't taken the test yet?" He asked, and she shook her head. "Okay," he said, "okay, you have to take the test first, okay? And then we will figure things out from there. There's no point in being upset if you're not…" he couldn't even force himself to say pregnant.

"Okay," she nodded, sniffling.

Lucas helped her up and led her to the bathroom. He was about to go in with her, but she stopped him and closed the door behind her. After a few moments, she came back out, having left the stick on the bathroom counter. Lucas wrapped his arms around her again, and she wrapped hers around him. They didn't say anything, he just rest his chin on the top of her head, and she buried her face into his chest.

"Brooke," Lucas pulled back and leaned down so he was eye level with her. Her hazel eyes were blood shot, and the flesh surrounding them was puffy and red, but he still thought she was amazingly beautiful. "No matter what that test says, I love you. Okay? No matter what happens, I will stand beside you through anything."

She nodded, and turned away from him to grab the test. When she picked up the test and looked at it, her face paled and a gasp escaped her lips. The test slipped from her fingers, and she fell to the floor, hunched over and crying. Lucas knew what that meant, so he went to her and wrapped his arms around her.

Brooke was pregnant.

For the longest time the two stayed on the bathroom floor, Brooke in Lucas' arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Lucas tried, without success, to calm her down. But, he figured the only thing that would help is time. So, he let her cry against him, and just held her. He had no doubt that she was pregnant by him. She wouldn't have come to him if she weren't, so he didn't even need to ask.

**September 13**

**10:18 a.m.**

Lucas hadn't gotten any sleep. Instead, he'd lain on his bed, with one arm around Brooke's waist while she tried to muffle the sobs. He didn't know what else to do besides comfort her. He wanted to promise her that everything was going to be okay, but he wasn't even sure himself. He has so many questions to ask her, but he's too afraid.

"Brooke," he whispered, pulling away from her. "Are you hungry?"

"No," she replied, her voice more raspy than normal.

"Hey," Lucas tucked some hair behind her ear. "We'll get through this, Pretty Girl. It's not going to be easy, but we'll do it."

"How?" Brooke sat up. "How are we going to get through this? You're not even my boyfriend. You're just my boyfriend's best friend. We're in high school, Lucas. How can we support a baby when we're not even supposed to be together? And what do you think your mom is going to do? Be happy? How can you be so sure that everything will work out?"

"Brooke, listen, I know this is all very scary right now, but I love you. I love you enough to know that this happened for a reason. You know, maybe our circumstances weren't right, and maybe we weren't supposed to fall in love, but we did. And I fell for you so God damned hard that I can't see this as a mistake. You are carrying _my_ child, Brooke. Maybe I'm the only teenage boy in America that believes getting his one true love pregnant as a blessing. But, maybe that is what this is. Maybe it is fate's way of telling us that we can't keep our love a secret, because it's too perfect of a love to hide."

Tears streamed down Brooke's face as Lucas' words poured from his mouth. Only the blond-eyed brooder could say those words to her and make her feel like everything else didn't matter. Only he could turn this situation into a loving memory. But even through all of the heartfelt words, Brooke still couldn't help thinking about how Lucas hadn't been the only guy she'd been with.

"It's going to kill Peyton and Julian," Brooke spoke through her tears.

"Just," Lucas sighed and shook his head. He then placed both of his hands on the sides of Brooke's face. "Just, stop thinking about them, okay? Just for the rest of the day and tomorrow. We'll deal with everything else in time, okay?" Brooke nodded and Lucas leaned in a softly pressed his lips against hers. "I love you, Pretty Girl and that is all I am going to think about until Monday."

"Okay," Brooke nodded, a fresh set of tears streaming down her face.

"Do you want me to call Haley or something?"

"Are you prepared to tell them about us?"

"I don't think that they'll care."

Lucas called Haley and invited her and Nathan over, and then made breakfast for him and Brooke while they waited for them to arrive. Brooke didn't smile much, but he was trying his hardest to get her dimples to pop out. He was trying to stay strong for her sake, and he really did believe what he had said. He just wasn't as confident about it as he led Brooke to believe.

Brooke loved Lucas. Plain and simple. He was extraordinary with words, and had an amazing way of showing her how much he loved her. She had never known such a love, or a connection, and she still couldn't, through everything, figure out why Lucas had to be the one who made her feel so….perfect. She remembered watching him with Peyton, and thinking how lucky Peyton was to have a boyfriend like him. But, he wasn't the same with Brooke as he was with Peyton. With Peyton, he was attentive and caring, but with Brooke he was passionate and loving. But, why did it have to be Lucas? The one guy in all of Tree Hill that was more forbidden than the fruit Eve ate.

When Nathan and Haley arrived, the four sat around making small talk for a bit, but the subject on Brooke and Lucas' minds wouldn't go away, but neither knew how to bring it up.

"Okay," Lucas released a huge breath. "Um, Brooke and I have something we have to tell you guys that we are kind of nervous about."

"Are you two having an affair?" Haley questioned, eyeing the two suspiciously.

"Haley," Nathan reprimanded. "I thought we weren't going to bring that up in front of them?"

"What? He said he has something to tell us," Haley pointed to Lucas. "I was just guessing."

"Still. What if your assumptions are wrong and they end up getting mad at us for a completely stupid reason."

"Guys," Lucas interrupted their mini-spat. The married couple looked at him. "Actually, Haley is right."

"I knew it!" Haley exclaimed. "Ha!" She playfully smacked Nathan in the chest. "You should totally start listening to your super hot, super smart wife."

Nathan didn't respond, only stared with his mouth open.

"Over the summer we fell in love," Lucas explained.

"That's great, guys, but what about Peyton and Julian?" Haley asked, coming back to reality. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I kind of think you two are perfect for each other, but they're going to hate you two."

"We know," Brooke sighed.

"Wait a minute," Nathan finally spoke up, "you mean you two have been seeing each other secretly all summer long?"

"We haven't exactly been seeing each other secretly for that long," Lucas explained. "We started hanging out over the summer more, as you two know, and things just started feeling differently."

"We didn't have a secret _thing_ until right before Julian and Peyton came back," Brooke finally spoke. "That's the least of our problems now, though," Brooke sighed.

"What? Why?" Haley questioned.

Brooke looked towards Lucas, who looked back at her before speaking. "Brooke's pregnant."

Both Nathan and Haley's mouths fell open. "I thought you were on birth control," Haley was the first to speak.

Brooke immediately burst into tears. "That's the thing, I was on birth control. I've been on birth control for a while."

"Did you miss any?" Haley asked, and Brooke shook her head.

"It must be the Scott super sperm then," Nathan tried to joke, but only Lucas smiled. The girls glared at him. "Sorry, just a joke," he put his hands up in defense. "But, you have to admit, Lucas getting her pregnant even through birth control and condoms? That's either some potent sperm or fate stepping in."

"It was fate," Lucas smiled faintly.

"We didn't use condoms," Brooke spoke up. "It's my fault, I should have never let him c-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Haley cut her off. "That is way too much information for a sister-in-law's ears. Maybe it wasn't effective anymore? Or, were you taking antibiotics or anything?"

Brooke started to feel light headed as realization set in. The pills Rachel had given her that were from Mexico were probably antibiotics. "I was taking some pills Rachel got from her parents to fight off being sick."

The room fell silent for a moment before Lucas spoke up. "Either way, it doesn't matter. What's done is done and we really just needed your guys' support. I knew out of everyone that you two wouldn't make that big of a deal out of it."

"You have our support," Haley nodded. "Not that I condone cheating or anything, but you two are great."

"Can we just not talk about this for a while?" Brooke asked. "I need to think of something else."

"Yeah, sure," Haley nodded. "How about a movie or something?"

They all agreed to a movie, which wasn't an easy task, and Lucas popped it in. He and Brooke let Haley and Nathan take the couch. Lucas pulled Brooke over to the recliner, and sat in it before pulling her on top of him. She situated herself in between his legs, with her back resting against his chest. Lucas tried not to make it obvious, but he slid his hands around her waist until they were resting on the lower part of her tummy. Where his tiny baby would be.

**Would love to know what you thought! **


	8. Heartbreak

Sunday rolled into Monday, and Lucas found himself back at school. He and Brooke had not made any decisions regarding the pregnancy, and every time he tried to talk about it she would clam up. He didn't blame her, though. After she left the previous day, he had broken down. He thought he was excited he would finally be able to claim Brooke as his as fate had decided for them what they should do, but the truth was, he couldn't support himself, let alone a tiny human being and Brooke. He knew he would be there for her regardless, but it was a monumental change in his life.

He watched as Brooke walked down the school hallway, and briefly met his eyes. There wasn't the same giddiness in them as when she looked at him before. She didn't even acknowledge his presence and she strolled past him. And the day continued on like that. Even at lunch he, Brooke, and Julian sat together, she ignored him completely. His heart ached knowing she was probably building a wall between them because of the situation. He didn't know when her attitude towards him had changed so drastically. she wouldn't talk about the pregnancy over the weekend to him, but she had clung to him for dear life. Like she needed him to keep her head above water.

At the end of the day, he had finally had enough and followed her to the locker room, where he knew she would be the only one getting ready for cheer leading practice earlier than the rest of the squad. As he walked towards her, she didn't seem surprised that he was there, and she also didn't look up at him either.

"Pretty Girl," he whispered as he reached his hand out to tuck some hair behind her ear.

"Don't," Brooke shrugged away from him.

"Please don't shut me out," he begged. "We need each other right now."

"No, Lucas, what I need right now is to get ready for cheer leading practice, since I am the captain. I don't want to deal with anything else right now." She started grabbing clothes from her locker, and continued to avoid his eyes.

"Brooke, I know this is hard and it's not something we should have to deal with right now, but we are and I don't want to lose you."

"The thing is, you never really had me." She turned around and finally faced him.

"Don't say that."

Brooke squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from him. She released a long breath before turning back towards him. "Lucas, I just need time, okay?" Her eyes pleaded with him to understand. "I need some time to deal with this in my head. I can't have you in my ear right now whispering all of these perfect things and predictions and outcomes that we both know aren't true. I have to figure this out for myself right now. Please, just give me some time."

Lucas felt shocked for a moment, but reigned it back in before she could recognize what he was feeling. He didn't want to scare ghee away anymore than she all ready was.

"Okay," he nodded, "if you need time, I will give you time. But I am here for you, pretty girl, and I love you."

"I know," Brooke whispered before turning her back on him again.

Lucas stood there for a few moments, hoping she would change her mind, before heading out of the locker room and to his truck. He didn't know what to feel or to think. He felt like they had made a complete turn from where they were the previous day. All he wanted was to hold her in his arms and try to make her feel better.

A week went by, and Lucas no longer knew whether he was coming or going. Brooke was still avoiding him, and he was miserable. Every day he hoped would be the day she would at least acknowledge him, and every day went by without so much as a head nod. He said he would give her time, and he was trying very hard to respect her request for it, but it was killing him. He wanted to kiss her and tell her everything would be fine, even though it might not be. Because he would try so hard to make it fine for her even if it meant bearing all the burden himself. But, he knew that wasn't possible. She was the one with a brand new life in her belly, and she would have to sacrifice herself for the tiny life they created.

It was over a week later when Julian asked him to meet him at the Rivercourt. It was unusual for Julian to ask to meet him there, since Julian wasn't much into basketball. Lucas went, hoping he would get some kind of information on how Brooke was doing. Julian was all ready at the court when Lucas arrived. Lucas walked up to the bleachers where Julian was sitting, and sat down on one of the benches.

"What's up?" Lucas asked, trying hard to keep his emotions in check. How do you remain neutral or act as a best friend toward the one person I the way of who you want to be with?

"ohhh man," Julian sighed, and started rubbing his face, which Lucas knew is something he did when he was upset.

"You okay?"

Julian let out a sharp laugh before shaking his head. "No, I'm not, actually. " He looked up at Lucas. "Brooke told me she's pregnant."

Lucas' stomach dropped. He didn't know how to reply or what to say. Did Julian know it was Lucas' baby? Was he about to get into one of the biggest fights of his life? He wasn't sure, and so he just stated at Julian, trying to keep his face void of any emotion.

"I don't know what to do, dude," Julian began speaking again. "I mean, I want to be all consoling and comforting for her, but I just can't wrap my head around this."

This time, Lucas' heart dropped. Brooke told Julian it was his baby. Brooke was taking to Julian about their baby, and not to him. A lump started to form in his throat, and he fought even harder to keep his emotions at bay.

"I can't be a dad, Lucas. I'm in high school. I do not want her to have this baby, but I can't tell her what to do. It's her body. How do I try and be there for her when I don't want to be anywhere near this?"

It took a few moments for Lucas to realize Julian had asked him question. "I don't know," Lucas shook his head, his voice breaking.

"I'm sorry to drag you into this, I just needed someone to talk to about it, so I called you. I just can't believe this is happening."

"Me either," Lucas mumbled.

Lucas stayed there with his friend, trying to remain neutral and not cause any alarm. He stayed there until finally Julian told him he was going home, and then Lucas went straight to Brooke's house. He had given her time, and she had gone to Julian instead. He had to hear from her mouth what exactly her plans were.

He knocked on her door, then let himself in. She was startled by him barging in, and she jumped from her place at her vanity. "Lucas, you scared me," she said flatly.

"I've just come from an interesting conversation with Julian," he blurted, not knowing any other way to start this topic.

"Oh," was all she said, her face and voice remaining flat.

"Oh?" Lucas questioned, the lump in his throat getting larger, and hot tears starting to form him his eyes. "What is your plan, Brooke? Are you planning on letting Julian believe he is the father of my child? Are you going to go on letting him be there for you when it should be me?"

"Lucas," Brooke sighed and set down the hairbrush in her hand. She turned towards the mirror on the vanity, and once again avoided looking at him in the eyes. "Lucas," she said with more power in her voice, "the baby isn't yours. It's Julian's. I counted back to the possible conception date and its only possible that Julian is the father. I'm sorry." She whispered the last part, now looking down at the table of the vanity instead of in the mirror.

"You're lying," Lucas' voice trembled as he spoke. "You're lying. I know when you are lying." His heart was breaking, he could feel it shattering. "why would you come to me to do the test? Why was I the first person you thought of going to when this happened?"

"because I knew you'd be there," she whispered, hiding her face.

"No, don't do this, Brooke. Don't be a coward and take the easy way," his voice started to get louder the more he spoke. "Damnit, Brooke, look at me!" He demanded.

She shook her head. Her voice cracked as she began to speak, "Why? All I will see is the biggest mistake I've ever made."

The tears finally fell from Lucas' eyes. He stood, rooted to the spot, his heart breaking and his head screaming she's lying. He went towards her and knelt to her level. He grabbed her chin, and forced her face to look at him, and he could see the tears streaming down. "Brooke, don't do this. Don't push me away."

Brooke pulled her face from his hand and turned away. "I'm not. I'm fixing my mistake."

Lucas stood, and felt like the room was caving in on him. He darted from her room, from her house, ashamed and heartbroken. He had risked everything and gave her his heart, and she was given it back filleted and on a platter. He wandered aimlessly before going home and collapsing into bed where he pulled the covers over his head and let himself cry. He couldn't believe she would let him think the baby was his. Why would she do that? How could she? Didn't she get that even if it was Julian's he would still love her and be there for her? She could have just been honest with him from the start.

**okay so I know this has been a long time coming, but here it is, the next chapter! Sorry it's so dramatic and sad. :( hopefully its not too bad, I haven't written anything in a very long time. I don't even know of people are still reading this, but I figured I owed it to the select few who are. inScense09, I really owe this chapter to you. Your reviews fueled me to write this. So here it goes...**


	9. LonelyDependable

Time passed slowly in Lucas' world. He focused on mainly his basketball game and avoiding Julian and Brooke at all costs. He started leaving the campus for lunch every day, instead of trying to find a new place to sit and having Julian ask him why. He avoided going to Nathan's because he didn't want them asking about the baby. When he walked down the hallway, he remained focused on putting one foot in front of the other, fearing any glimpses of Brooke in the hallway. He played ball hard and he studied hard, and that's all he could manage to do.

He was doing good at avoiding them at all costs until one day when his entire class was called to the lunch room for some meeting regarding the senior class trip and the requirements to be able to go. He got stuck taking the only seat left which was at the table Julian and Brooke were at. Julian tried to make small talk, and he nodded along as much as he could. He could see Brooke stealing glances at him, but he tried to avoid looking at her. He missed her so much that he was afraid he'd push the table in between them out of the way and beg her on his hands and knees to leave Julian and come back to him if he did look at her. The perfect opportunity came when the girl next to him, Heather Morris, started to flirt with him. Julian would leave him alone so he could flirt, and Brooke would avoid watching because it would be disgusting.

Heather leaned in closer to him then spoke softly, "Hi, Lucas." Lucas turned so he appeared to be interested and smiled. "You're looking so hot. I heard you're finally single."

"That I am," Lucas nodded. She giggle and pushed her hair over her shoulder. He wanted to roll his eyes, because honestly, that was never attractive, ever. He heard a huff come from across the table, so he knew his little plan was working.

"We should go out some time," she ran her finger over Lucas' hand, "I bet we'd have a lot of fun."

"You think so?" There was then a scoff, and Lucas smirked.

"I do," she grabbed his hand and turned it over palm up, "here's my number. Call me." She wrote her number down with a sharpie then placed a kiss on his cheek.

It was then that he finally looked up at Brooke and she was scowling at the girl next to him. She didn't look the same, though. She looked pale, and there was the start of dark circles under her eyes. They seemed puffy, like maybe she'd been crying the night before. He felt horrible for his actions for a brief moment, before he reminded himself of the way she had written him off. The scowl dropped and for a second, there eyes met. It was a brief flash and Lucas didn't think he would ever be able to forget the sad and loneliness she had buried deep in her eyes. It made his stomach drop, and his head followed, taking to staring down at the table. He felt that look to the very core of him. She was hurting so bad, and Julian was hardly the person to help someone through that. But, she had chosen him. This was her choice. He told himself this over and over, but he still couldn't squash the guilty feeling that was in him.

*Brooke*

Brooke had never felt so lonely in her entire life. Even when her parents left her home alone for weeks on end, she had always at least had her best friends. Now, she felt like she had no one. She couldn't tell Peyton about the pregnancy. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. Julian was supposed to be there, but he never really was. He was more worried about some stupid short film he was producing. Rachel was too busy...doing whatever it was Rachel did. She pushed Lucas away, and probably for good.

And she couldn't allow herself to get attached to this fetus growing inside of her. She had to call it a fetus, because she couldn't manage any other way. She had decided she was going to get rid of it. She had told Julian that, and after she did he was so relieved he stopped even thinking about it. He didn't hold her when she needed to be held, he wasn't there when she was suffering from morning sickness, and he definitely didn't care that Brooke cried herself to sleep every night from the guilt of knowing she had an appointment to terminate her...fetus.

Everything was a mess, and she wanted so badly to just crawl into Lucas' lap and have him rub her back and whisper that everything was going to be okay, even if he didn't know if it was. She had to tell him the...fetus wasn't his. She had to. She knew that if it was his she would keep it, and she couldn't put that burden on him. She knew that if she let Lucas be there, he'd sweep in with all these perfect words and kind actions, and just pure love and she wouldn't be able to do what had to be done. The fetus had to be Julian's. there was no other way.

So she lied to him and set the appointment for the procedure and struggled to try and remain normal to the outside world. She knew he could see into her eyes, right through to her core, and find nothing but sadness and loneliness. He was the only person that could read her. He tried very hard to avoid her, though, and she doesn't blame him.

Peyton would come and hang out with her as normal, and cheer leading practices carried on. It was all leading up to the day that she would probably regret for the rest of her life. The day that would forever change who she was. When the day finally comes, she decided not to go to school. Julian didn't even offer to go with her, and she didn't ask him to go either. She busied herself all morning until it was time to leave. And when she walked into the clinic, her stomach ended up in her throat. She checked herself in and then sat in a chair to wait. She couldn't help looking around at all the other girls that were there and wondering what their reasons for to do the same thing.

*Lucas*

Lucas had become good at avoiding Brooke, but the day seemed different. He just knew she wasn't at school, and that alarmed him. He fought with himself, trying to make himself not care, but he couldn't help it. At lunch, he hopped into his truck and drove down the the river court. He wasn't even sure if he was going to go back to school. He knew there was just something about today that wasn't right.

He became more alarmed when Julian pulled up and walked over to the benches and sat down without saying a word. There was nothing spoken for minutes, and Lucas knew that something wasn't right about that day.

"It's happening today," Julian finally spoke, not looking at him.

Lucas' stomach dropped. He had a feeling he knew what it was, but he needed to hear it. "What?"

"Brooke's getting an abortion today." He seemed just so, blah, about it and something in Lucas' belly snapped.

"Excuse me?"

"She's getting the abortion today," he sighed. "I guess I never told you that that's what we decided to do. I'm so...relieved, too. I can't be a dad right now, and we both know Brooke's not mature enough to handle being a mom."

Lucas clenched his teeth and shook his head. "When?" He ground out.

"She had to be there at like 10 this morning." He checked his watch. "I wonder if she's done yet."

Lucas felt his fists clench. "You didn't go with her?" His voice took on a higher octave, and he could feel his calm demeanor starting to slip.

"What's the point of us both missing school? She's a big girl." Julian shrugged.

"You are the biggest piece of shit I have ever met," finally his composure was gone and he stood jumping down from the bleachers. "She's going through probably the hardest thing she's ever had to face and you're sitting here like its no big deal! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Julian furrowed his brows at his long time friend. "What's your deal?"

Lucas' nostrils flared and he had to exercise serious control not to lunge at him. "Where is she?"

"Who? What?"

"Where the fuck is Brooke? What clinic is she at?"

"The one down on Main, why do you ever care?"

Lucas took off for his car before he could respond. He jumped in and sped all the way to the clinic, hoping he'd make it before anything happened. She needed someone there for her, and regardless of what had happened, he did still care for her and he didn't want her going through an...abortion all on her own. He thrummed in his steering wheel, willing the trip to be shorter. When he finally arrived, he took the first parking spot he found and rushed inside. It was totally different from what he imagined. There was a large waiting room full of women and girls waiting for whatever came next. He scanned the room, and quickly found the brunette sitting in a corner, her head hung low. He rushed over to her and she didn't look up until he sat down next to her and slid his hand under hers and intertwined their fingers.

The tears started flowing immediately and she leaned into him, resting her forehead against his shoulder. He used his other hand to caress the back of her head while he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"It's okay, Brooke, you shouldn't have to go through this alone." He whispered and she only started crying harder. "Shh," he tried to calm her and it slowly started to work. Her sobs calmed into sniffles, but she still kept her forehead against his shoulder.

"Why would you come, Lucas?" Her voice so soft he almost didn't hear her.

"I just...needed you to know you didn't have to do this alone," he placed another kiss on top of her head. She finally pulled back to look at him, and he immediately swiped at the years pooling under her eyes.

"Even after everything that I did?" She asked.

"Shh, I don't care about that right now. Right now I just need you to know you're not alone and that I support you in whatever choice you make." He tucked some hair behind her ear. "That's all I want to do, Brooke, support you." A fresh batch of tears fell from her eyes. "Please don't cry," he begged. "I can't stand to see you cry."

"I think I'm making a mistake, Lucas." Her voice broke as she spoke. "I don't think I can do this. Will you support that, too?"

"Of course I would, Pretty Girl," he gave her a small reassuring smile. "I love you, and I don't think I have a choice in the matter anymore."

A soft sob parted her lips, and she leaned in to him again, this time to brush her lips against his. "Lucas," she whispered, "I want to go home. Will you take me home?"

"If that's what you want, yes," he nodded.

"Please take me home," she begged.

**wow...another chapter. A little later than I had hoped after the last one, but considering the break I took before, it's much shorter! Haha! Thanks everyone who is still reading this story. I hope it doesn't feel rushed. Like I said last chapter, I'm still trying to get back I into a writing groove as its been a very long time. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


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